There are various tales about how Rome started and many of them are just legends. One of the most popular of these stories is about the twins Romulus and Remus. It is said that they fed off wolves and were raised by shepherds as children, and eventually founded the city.

From 753-509 BC, Rome was governed by Etruscans. They were from the nearby city of Etruria and influenced many of the later Roman customs. During this era, Rome was still ruled by a king, who exercised complete political, military, and religious authority. Tarquin the Proud was the last Etruscan king and his oppressive rule led to him being kicked out of Rome by the aristocrats. After this, no one person could rule Rome; instead it was governed by the Office of the Consul, which was held by two people known as consuls. 

In 458 BC, Cincinnatus, a former consul, was named dictator by the people (because it was a time of crisis), but resigned after he destroyed a warring tribe within 15 days, even though he could have remained dictator for six months. 

The Greek religion impacted the Romans greatly. Eventually, the Greek gods came to be identified with the Roman ones but with each deity taking on a different name. The Romans thought there was a set of universal laws that everyone should follow, and if you broke one of them, there would be harsh punishments. This was their reasoning for conquering neighboring nations: to civilize foreigners and unify them under one rule. 

Ancient Rome had two types of social classes: the plebeians and the patricians. The plebeians were deprived of political rights and were liable to enslavement for debts, whereas the patricians held all the power. To stop this, the plebeians seceded from Rome to try to force the patricians to give them more rights. This plan worked, and in 494 BC, new rules were added to Roman law, giving plebeians legal protection. By the late 5th century BC, the plebeians were allowed to hold political office, debt slavery was abolished, in 367 BC plebeians were allowed to run for consul, and in 342 BC a new law was added which stated that at least one of the consuls had to be a plebeian. Rome was one of the first true republican governments, with a senate and an assembly to vote on bills.

 By 146 BC, Rome completely dominated the Mediterranean world with their aggressive style of fighting. In 256 BC, Rome had united all of Italy under its rule and had extended citizenship to their Italian allies. They came into conflict with Carthage during the First Punic War (264-241 BC), and Carthage was forced to give up Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia after Rome was victorious in 238 BC. 

The Second Punic War (218-202 BC) was brought on by Carthage’s hostile expansion into Spain, over which Rome had influence. Commanded by General Hannibal, Carthage destroyed the Romans at the Battle of Cannae in 216, but Carthage still could not deal a decisive blow. Later, Rome invaded North Africa, forcing Hannibal to rush back to defend the homeland. At the Battle of Zama in 202, Hannibal was defeated by Roman General Scipio Africannas, and Rome won the war. During the Third Punic War (149-146 BC), Carthage was quickly defeated by Rome again. In 215 BC, Phillip V of Macedonia allied with Rome. However, Rome broke their agreement and in 205 launched the first Macedonian War, taking control of the Peloponnesian Peninsula.

After years of exhausting war, Rome had severe economic and social problems. Much of the farmland in Northern Italy had been destroyed by the fighting, causing food shortages. Consequently, many farmers sold their land to rich landowners (who used slave labor) and moved to the city. 

In 133 BC, Tiberius Gracchus pursued land reform and tried to allow more people to be eligible to serve in the military. Tiberius often bypassed the Senate to pass bills, so the Senate refused to fund his land commission. Tiberius urged the resignation of Octavius, a tribune who was influenced by the Senate, and ran for re-election. At one of Tiberius’ political rallies, the Senate, angered that Tiberius had broken the tradition of the Senate being the main political power in Rome, rushed onto the stage and beat him to death. Tiberius’ brother Gaius Gracchus also ran for tribune. He was openly hostile towards the Senate (probably because they killed his brother), and was also assassinated. 

From 91-88 BC, the Roman Social Wars took place, where a group called the Mithridates killed 80,000 Roman civilians who opposed them in Asian Minor. The Mithridates’ opponents, led by Sulla, took over Rome, but could not have his laws approved by the Senate because the Senate was pro-Mithridate.