Tiberius, besides completing many of the buildings of his predecessor, began the Prxtorian camp on the north-east side of the city, in the Campus Vimivalis, and surrounded it with high walls. The wealthy Romans at this time had their palaces principally in the eastern dis tricts, from the Porta Collins to the Ports Crelimoutana; they did not however form streets, but lay in gardens within the fields between the high roads which issued from the city; and hence they are gene rally called liorti, as Horti Mrecenatis, &c. All that had been done for the embellishment of the city previous to the reign of Nero was eclipsed by the magnificent buildings of this emperor ; but the greater part of those works, together with those of former days, perished iu the conflagration which took place in his reign. In his restorations the face of the city assumed a totally different aspect. On the ruins of the temples and the imperial palace on the Palatine rose the eo called Golden House of Nero, which occupied a space equal to a large town. The greatest care was taken to make the new streets wide and straight, and that the buildings should not exceed a reasonable height. In order to render possible the execution of the regular plan the several quarters of the city were measured, and the heaps of ruins were removed and conveyed in ships to Ostia, to fill up the marshes in its vicinity. All the new buildings were massive, and constructed of the fire-proof peperino, without the old wooden upper story. The width of the new streets rendered it necessary to extend the city beyond its former limits. Some time afterwards, in the reign of Vespesien, a measurement of the circumference of Rome was taken, according to which it amounted t3 131 Roman miles. The subsequent emperors continued to increase and embellish the city; but under Commodus a great part was agaiu consumed by a fire which destroyed all the buildings on the Palatine. Septimiue Scverus exerted himself to restore the parts which had beeu burnt, and to ornament the city, and some of his buildings are still extant. But the grandeur and magnificence of the thermie of Caracalla, south of the Porta Capone, sur .11 the works of his predecessors. Almost all the great or their remains, which still exist at Rome, belong to the period between Nero and Constantine.
The moat extensive work of this latter period is the immense wall, with its numerous towers, with which Aurelian surrounded the city Tee work, which was completed in the reign of Probus (ars 276), does not however enable us to form a correct estimate of the real extent of the city, as the objects of the fortification may have rendered it necessary to indorse parts which were not covered with buildings. The Janiculum, which seems to have been fortified from the earliest times of the republic, Will now for the first time included within the city walls, together with the Regio Transtiberina. The whole circum ference of these now fortifications was about 21 miles. In the time of Houorius some parts of this wall which were decayed were restored. Though the present walls do not much exceed the height of 15 or 20 feet on the inside, owing to the accumulation of rubbish, they are in many places as much as 50 feet high on the outside.
After the time of Constantine, when the emperors and the Roman nobles had adopted the Christian religion, the decay and destruction of the ancient edifices commenced. The building of numerous churches was the immediate cause of this destruction. Neither the court nor private individuals possessed sufficient wealth to raise buildings equal in form or material to those of their ancestors, and as heathen temples could not always be converted into Christian churches, they were generally pulled down, and the materials used fur other purposes. Daring the 5th century of our era great calamities were — — I:started neon Rene by the ravager of the northern barbarians. The
buildings destroyed at the capture of the city by Alario were near the Posta Malaria, where the enemy entered. There are in this part still some remains of the house of Palliest which was destroyed on that occasion. A harder fate befell the city in 455, when It was taken by the Wendel% who sacked it for fourteen days ; but the buildings seem to bare suffered little, the precious metals being the main object of the cupidity of these barbarians, as well as of the followers of Alerie. Theodorie and his immediate aucceaeors not only took the greatest care to preserve what remained, but even exerted themselves to restore the public buildings which had suffered or were beginning to decay. The population however rapidly decreased during the 5th century, and became impoveriebed, so that towards the end of the century the suburbs around Rome Peen) to have no longer existed, with the exception of that which had arisen between the northern extremity of the Janiculum and the Vatican. Rome was thus confined to the walls of Aurelian and their restoration by Honoring, and even within its precincts extensive districts were uninhabited. The most remarkable buildings of former days indeed still existed, but after the reign of Deodatus they were entirely neglected; and thus one after another they fell into decay and ruin.
Historical history of Rome is not a fit appendage to a short topographical article : no more can be done here than merely enumerate a few of the chief dates and occurrence's. Rome, founded by Romulus on the Palatine Hill, n.e. 753 or 752, was governed by kings in the interval between the year just mentioned and n.e. 510. The seven kings were—Romulus, ac. 753-714 ; Noma Pompiliva, 715-673 ; Taus llostilius, 673-641; Ancus 31arciure 041.616; L. Tarquinius Priscus, 616-573; Servius Tullius, 578-534; Tarquinius Superbus, 531-510. During the regal government, the history of which rests mainly oe the authority of popular traditions, the foundations of the most valuable institutions of Rome were laid—the senate, military organisation, assemblies of the burghers (who had the power to accept or reject the laws passed by the senate), a respect for law, and a ayatem of colonisation were established. At the close of the kingly period Rome was mistress of nearly all the tribes of Latium and of a part of the Sabine territory. In the territory of the Volsci, the first two Roman colonies, Signia and Circeii, were founded, though Ostia, founded by Ancus 31arcees, is also sometimes called a Roman colony. On the Etruscan side of the Tiber, Rome was in possession of the Janicnium, which was probably fortified. From the first treaty of Rome with Carthage, which was concluded in the first year of the Republic' in B.C. 509, we must conclude that the Romans had already formed important mercantile connections with foreign nations. (Polyb., iii. 22.) The abolition of the kingly power and the establishment of the republic did not produce any other material change in the constitution of Rome. The plebeians derived scarcely any benefit from it but the patricians extended their power, inasmuch as they appointed, in the place of a king, two magistrates, originally called Prxtors and afterwards Consuls, who were proposed by the senate and appointed in the comitia centuriata. Patricians only were eligible to this and the other great offices of the state. With the exception of the office of higlepriest (pontifex maximus), which was transferred to the rex ascrificulus, the consuls possessed all the rights and privileges as well as moat of the insignia of the former kings •, but their office was only annual, and upon its expiration they might be called to account for their conduct. On the termination of their office, they returned indeed to a private station, but as members of the senate they still retained some influence in the administration of the republic.