Traditional Rome was the biggest town in the then known world. It is thought that Rome's population was over one million folks when the city was at the height of its power. From Rome, the heart of central authority beat ; military decisions were taken and the gigantic wealth Rome earned was invested in a chain of magnificent buildings.

To begin with, many buildings in Rome were built round the forum. Historically, this had been a market place and an area where folks met. Therefore , it would be a natural place to put govt buildings, temples and palaces. As Rome grew the forum became more crowded. Therefore , a second town centre was planned and built some distance from the forum but still in Rome itself.

Rome itself had some magnificent buildings erected within the city. Some exist to this day, all be it in a less wonderful state. The most famous is probably the Colosseum where thousands of Roman citizens would gather for their entertainment - be it animals fighting or gladiators for example. Such grand buildings were constructed so that emperors would be remembered by future generations. The Colosseum was built on the orders of the Emperor Vespasian and completed when the Emperor Titus was in power. The building was ultimately finished in AD 80.

Rome also had countless triumphal arches assembled throughout the town to celebrate military victories. These served adual purpose. First, they were a celebration of the military victories the Romans had and, 2nd, they used to be a reminder to the people of Rome of how forceful the regiment was.
As with any city, Rome had its wealthy and poor areas. The poor could only afford to live in wooden houses which were aserious fire risk in a hot country like Italy. On a number of occasions, Rome suffered grim damage as a result of fires starting in the town's slums. The slums were also deadly places to go to if you had any money as crime was very common. The Emperor Augustus created a police force to patrol the town but the poor areas remained all but untamed. However , for the influential folks of Rome, this was of small importance as they never visited such areas.

The fall of traditional Rome started from about AD 190. The Roman Empire was attacked by clans such as the Goths and the Vandals. Civil wars in parts of the empire further weakened the rule of Rome and respect for Roman law dwindled as a consequence.
Why was the empire attacked by fierce tribes people? Clans such as the Goths wanted to move south into parts of Europe that experienced a better climate that would help their farming. This could only bring them into clash with the Romans. Atroughly AD 190, Rome also experienced a succession of poor emperors who simply weren't capable of doing the job.

Diocletian faced more than just executive Problems. Moreand more military defences needed to be built across the whole empire. This cost money that Rome did not have. To pay for these, taxes were increased and extra coins were minted. This lead to inflation causing prices to rise. Therefore , the people of Rome were less than favourable towards those that led them.
With threats from tribes in northerly Europe, financial issues in Rome itself and a civilian population becoming moreand more discontented, Rome could sick afford further major issues.

In AD 307, Constantine became emperor. He ruled from AD 307 to AD 337. Constantine was Rome's first Christian emperor and he is regarded to have been astrong ruler.
He thought that Rome as a town was too far away from crucial areas of the empire to have value from a governmental level. Constantine,therefore , moved the capital of the empire to a new town - Constantinople. This was a new town that was built on the old city of Byzantium. Whatever the motives were, Constantine's decision was a poor one. Constantinople was much further east than Rome and forcibly in the eastern empire. This left the western empire really exposed - though the eastern empire was hardly free from attacks.

however , in AD 398, the leader of the Visigoths, Alaric, realized the Roman armed forces was so thinly spread, that Rome itself was for the taking. Alaric moved cautiously south but in AD 410 he caught the city of Rome. The town was sacked. Roman held territory in Spain, France, northern Africa and Britain all slid to the varied tribes that attacked them.

In AD 455, Rome was attacked again. This time the damage was done by the Vandals. The city suffered serious damage. In AD 476, the last Roman emperor in the west, Romulus Augustulus, was removed from power by Odovacar, leader of the Goths. This date is generally employed by historians as the year the Roman Empire stopped. However , Roman rule continued in the eastern empire for a number of years after this date - in modern Greece, Turkey, the Middle East and northern Egypt. Even if the ancient Rome fell, today it is a cosmopolitan city. If you like to see the old and modern parts of the city do not hesitate and book your Appartment Rome. All the Appartments Rome are a good starting point to make the most out of the city.