Founding

• The city of Rome was founded in about 753 B.C. on the Palatine Hill not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea of Italy, most like by immigrants from the north, according to legionxxiv.org.
  
  

Julius Caesar

• Julius Caesar seized Rome and became dictator in 46 B.C., only to be assassinated in 44 B.C. on the Senate floor.
  
  

Rome's Peak

• At the height of its power around A.D. 80, Rome had a population of about 1 million people, with many of its iconic buildings, including the Colosseum, built under Emperor Vespasian.
  
  

Rome's Fall

• Ancient Rome's decline began in A.D. 190 following attacks by the Vandals and Goth tribes and a succession of incompetent emperors.
  
  

Italian Renaissance

• The city's revival emerged in the 14th century with the Italian Renaissance and the creation of St. Peter's Basillica and the Sistine Chapel, according to teach12.com.
  
  

20th Century Rome

• Rome survived fascist Benito Mussolini's march into the city in 1922 and allied occupation during World War II to become a city of about 2.7 million people in 2009.