The Romans traced their history back to the year 753BC, and two brothers, Romulus and Remus. Legend has it that the brothers could not agree where to build a new city and consulted the birds to see which brother had chosen the right spot. In fact, Rome started to grow in the 6th century BC, out of a number of small villages on hills next to the River Tiber.

Early Roman history is full of wonderful stories, some of which might be little more than legends and others that reflect epic events that actually took place:

• Horatius holding the bridge against invaders

• how cackling geese saved Rome from capture by the Gauls

• wars against Carthage and the defeat of Hannibal

• the slave revolt of Spartacus

Until 27BC, Rome was a republic and was ruled by the Senate. The most famous senator was Marcus Tullius Cicero (106‒43BC).

By the first century BC, however, the Republic collapsed.