In a nutshell, classical Rome lasted about a thousand years: roughly 500 BC to AD 500. Rome grew for 500 years, peaked for 200 years, and fell for 300 years. The first half was the Republic — ruled by elected senators; the last half was the Empire — ruled by unelected emperors.

Back in its glory days, the word “Rome” meant not just the city, but what Romans considered the entire civilized world.

Everyone was either Roman or barbarian. People who spoke Latin or Greek were considered civilized, part of the empire. Everyone else…barbarian.

According to legend, Rome was founded by two brothers — Romulus and Remus. Abandoned in the wild and then suckled by a she-wolf, they grew up to establish the city. In actuality, the first Romans mixed and mingled here — in the valley between the famous Seven Hills of Rome. And, five centuries before Christ, this became the Roman Forum.

In 509, they tossed out their king and established the relatively democratic Roman Republic. That began perhaps history’s greatest success story — the rise of Rome.

From the start, Romans were expert builders with a knack for effective government. This simple brick building, once richly veneered with marble, was the Senate House, or Curia. Esteemed senators gathered here and helped establish the basic principles of what would shape Western government.

The reign of Julius Caesar — who ruled around the time of Christ — marked the turning point between the Republic and the empire. The Republic — designed to rule a small city-state — found itself trying to rule most of Europe. Something new and stronger was needed. Caesar established a no-nonsense, more disciplined government, became dictator for life, and for good measure, had a month named in his honor…July.

Eventually, the Forum became the economic and political capital of a vast empire — the Wall Street, Fifth Avenue, and capital city combined. And being here today is a thrill…as we walk in the footsteps of the proud people who made it happen.

The Via Sacra, or “Sacred Way,” was the main street of ancient Rome. It stretched from the Arch of Titus past the Arch of Septimius Severus to Rome’s leading temple dedicated to the god, Saturn. Rome’s various triumphal arches — named after the emperors who built them — were great P.R.…propaganda. Their reliefs celebrate how war and expansion were the business of state and how Rome’s thriving economy was fueled by plunder and slaves won in distant lands.

Recent excavations reveal new dimensions of this amazing urban center. The House of Tiberius was part of the emperor’s massive palace. Walking under its towering vaults, you appreciate both the genius of Roman engineering and the enormity of its emperors’ egos.

As the Roman Empire fell, this secular space was given new life as a Christian church. With surviving frescoes from the 7th century, it’s a vivid example of how rapidly the new order succeeded the old. These frescoes, coming to life after being buried and forgotten for over a thousand years, humanize that society…and are a reminder of how the excavation of Rome is ongoing.