Ancient Rome

==Early Italy and the founding of Rome==
{{Further|Founding of Rome}}
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 | image1 = Capitoline she-wolf Musei Capitolini MC1181.jpg
 | alt1 = Capitoline Wolf
 | caption1 = The [[Capitoline Wolf]], now illustrating the legend that a [[She-wolf (Roman mythology)|she-wolf]] suckled [[Romulus and Remus]] after [[Rhea Silvia|their mother]]'s imprisonment in [[Alba Longa]]

 | image2 = Rome in 753 BC.png
 | alt2 = Rome 753 BC
 | caption2 = Modern reconstruction of the marshy conditions of early Rome, along with a conjectural placement of the [[Roma Quadrata|early settlement]] and [[Murus Romuli|its fortifications]]

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Archaeological evidence of settlement around Rome starts to emerge {{Circa|1000&nbsp;BC}}.{{Sfn|Boatwright|2012|p=519}} Large-scale organisation appears only {{Circa|800&nbsp;BC}}, with the first graves in the [[Esquiline Hill]]'s necropolis, along with a [[murus Romuli|clay and timber wall]] on the bottom of the [[Palatine Hill]] dating to the middle of the 8th century&nbsp;BC. Starting from {{Circa|650&nbsp;BC}}, the Romans started to drain the valley between the [[Capitoline Hill|Capitoline]] and Palatine Hills, where today sits the [[Roman Forum]].{{Sfn|Boatwright|2012|p=29}} By the sixth century BC, the Romans were constructing the [[Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]] on the Capitoline and expanding to the [[Forum Boarium]] located between the Capitoline and [[Aventine Hill]]s.{{Sfn|Boatwright|2012|p=31}}

The Romans themselves had a [[founding myth]], attributing their city to [[Romulus and Remus]], offspring of Mars and a princess of the mythical city of [[Alba Longa]].{{Sfn|Boatwright|2012|pp=31–32}} The sons, sentenced to death, were rescued by a wolf and returned to restore the Alban king and found a city. After a dispute, Romulus killed Remus and became the city's sole founder. The area of his initial settlement on the Palatine Hill was later known as [[Roma Quadrata]] ("Square Rome"). The story dates at least to the third century, and the later Roman antiquarian [[Marcus Terentius Varro]] placed the city's foundation to 753&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Boatwright|2012|p=32}} Another legend, recorded by Greek historian [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]], says that Prince Aeneas led a group of Trojans on a sea voyage to found a new Troy after the [[Trojan War]]. They landed on the banks of the [[Tiber River]] and a woman travelling with them, Roma, torched their ships to prevent them leaving again. They named the settlement after her.<ref>Mellor, Ronald and McGee Marni, ''The Ancient Roman World'' p. 15 (Cited 15 March 2009).</ref> The Roman poet [[Virgil]] recounted this legend in his classical epic poem the ''[[Aeneid]]'', where the Trojan prince [[Aeneas]] is destined to found a new Troy.

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