Forever Young: Rome Celebrates its 2,775th Birthday
Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning. — Giotto di Bondone
Without a doubt, the city of Rome, also known as the 'Eternal City' has touched the hearts and minds of many. The expression "All roads lead to Rome" came about due to the enormous feats of the Roman Empire, such as an impressive road network of over 50,000 miles that spread its culture, politics, trade, commerce and influence throughout the known world. Other notable achievements include the innovative aqueduct system (some of which are still used today), bringing citizens underground sewage systems and ornate public baths.
Though Rome is pretty old, it is undoubtedly a city that stays eternally young. The "official" founding date of Rome was 2,775 years ago, on April 21, BCE, when Romulus founded the settlement after killing his twin brother Remus to become the sole ruler.
After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, people can return today to the Circus Maximus on the 21st to participate in the city's birthday celebrations, including historical reenactments by the Gruppo Storico Romano. Festivities will last for four days, culminating in a grand parade featuring costumed participants marching from the Circus Maximus to Piazza Venezia and past the Imperial Forums to the Colosseum at 10:30 am on Sunday, April 24. Check out the entire program of events here.
In order to follow the fun, we encourage you to check out this page and watch the videos from the American Institute for Roman Culture on YouTube, otherwise head to Instagram to see the live updates of Darius Arya, an archaeologist, public historian and TV host focusing on Rome and its Empire.
Enjoy the walk past the Theater of Marcellus, at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, into Piazza Venezia, and then down Via dei Fori Imperiali, for a display of pageantry and military might of legions and citizens and provincials from across the great Roman Empire!
Traditionally we attribute the founding of Rome to 21 April 753 BC. The story of this date, however, has a lot of confusion surrounding it. In this video, I am giving a most probable version of its origins.
And here's a video of the celebratory parade:
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