DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides: Rome

Moments in History

1. Romulus and Remus

   The foundation of Rome is said to have occurred in 753 BC. Twins Romulus and Remus, sons of Mars and a Vestal Virgin, were set adrift by their evil uncle and suckled by a she-wolf. They then founded rival Bronze Age villages on the Palatine, but Romulus killed Remus during an argument, and his “Rome” went on to greatness.

2. Rape of the Sabine Women

   To boost the female population in the 750s BC Romulus’s men kidnapped women from the neighbouring Sabine kingdom. As Rome began to expand, however, the kingdoms were united. Rome was later conquered by the Etruscan Tarquin dynasty. In 510 BC, a patrician-ruled Republic was formed that lasted more than 450 years.

3. Assassination of Caesar

   A series of military victories, ...