In historiography, ancient Rome describes Roman civilization from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in 753 BC to the collapse of the Western Empire in AD 476. This encompassed a time period including when they were ruled by kings, various political governments, and military rule as well as their expansion into other areas such as Europe and North Africa.
Ancient Rome is characterized as a functional city-state that brought law and order to the Italian peninsula in times where chaos threatened their culture. There were many advances in architecture, technology, engineering, and government that allowed them to expand and build on the legacy they had left behind. Their empire started as a small republic and through the use of military force, they eventually became a leading world power.
