A brief sketch of Roman history from the Etruscans to Mussolini. Rome, the "eternal city," was founded over 2,700 years ago along the Tiber River in the center of the Italian peninsula. In the millennia that have elapsed since its founding, this city experienced times of internal power and prosperity, as well as periods of destruction. The city has been thoroughly transformed, at times taking its place as a significant urban center, and at other times forming only a small scattered settlement. Rome has also become a very important place for both Western civilization and for the Catholic Church. As such, the history of Rome lines up quite closely at times with the history of Western civilization and the history of the Catholic Church. Vestiges of every age are still present within the city of Rome, and are remarkably well-preserved, on account of the build-up of silt from the continuously flooding Tiber River which buried the city, allowing for one era to literally be built right on top of the previous one. This has created a sort of continuity from one era to the next which makes the city of Rome what it is today. While the present-day Rome may appear to be haphazardly laid out and confusing at a first glance, it is deeply grounded in history. One must only peel back the centuries by understanding the history of every era, and it is evident that each feature of the city as it appears today was created with purpose, and had its own deliberate and distinct goal.