Even when you’ve been raised by wolves with your twin brother Remus, sooner or later a fellow wants a taste of Bright Lights, Big City, so on this day in 753 BCE, Romulus got busy on the banks of the Tiber River on
INTERNATIONAL ROME DAY!
It wasn’t built in a day, or a century, but the founding of Rome, mythical or otherwise, was a watershed moment in human history.
Before you could say toga party, the Romans would announce their presence to the world, usually in the form of conquering armies, as they assembled the largest and most technologically advanced empire of the ancient world, dominating Europe, Africa and Asia Minor for centuries.
When Rome finally fell, this violent and bloodthirsty empire left behind, of all things, Civilization, in the form of roads, buildings, aqueducts and other civil infrastructure, seaports, knowledge, a calendar and, just as important, laws.
Rome changed the way mankind viewed itself, as a global community rather than a series of small hostile tribes. The nations of Europe were forged on the Roman model, and Rome’s influence defines much of human society to this day. It wasn’t all pretty, but it was all pretty impressive.
Suggested activities: Do as the Romans do: decline and fall