Rome's history in brief: flag, coat of arms, SPQR motto and key dates
According to tradition Rome was founded on 21 April 753 BC, became the capital of an empire, then of the pope, then of a unified Italy in 1871. Its motto is SPQR, for Senatus Populusque Romanus, "the Senate and People of Rome"; its colours are red and golden yellow, and its symbol is the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus. This article gives the key dates in order and says where to see each symbol in Rome. Information verified on 26 October 2026; the exact description of the flag and coat of arms is the City of Rome's, to confirm on its website.  ## Flag, coat of arms and motto - **SPQR**: the acronym of "Senatus Populusque Romanus", the formula of ancient Roman institutions, now used by the city council. It appears on manhole covers, bins, buses and signs across the city. - **Colours**: red and golden yellow ("giallorosso"), also those of the football club AS Roma. The city's coat of arms is a red shield bearing the letters SPQR in gold. - **The She-wolf**: according to the legend, a she-wolf suckled the twins Romulus and Remus, abandoned on the bank of the Tiber. The Etruscan bronze Capitoline Wolf is kept in the Capitoline Museums; the twins were added in the Renaissance, and the age of the wolf is debated among specialists. ## Key dates | Date | Event | |---|---| | 21 April 753 BC | Legendary foundation by Romulus (birthday of Rome celebrated every 21 April) | | 509 BC | Start of the Republic | | 44 BC | Assassination of Julius Caesar | | 27 BC | Augustus, first emperor | | AD 80 | Inauguration of the Colosseum | | 312-313 | Battle of the Milvian Bridge; Edict of Milan | | 410 | Sack of Rome by Alaric | | 476 | End of the Western Roman Empire | | 1527 | Sack of Rome by imperial troops | | 20 September 1870 | Italian army takes Rome (breach at Porta Pia) | | 1871 | Rome becomes the capital of Italy | | 2 June 1946 | Referendum: Italy becomes a republic | | 25 March 1957 | Treaties of Rome (signed on the Capitoline Hill) | ## Where to see Rome's history  - **The She-wolf** and ancient inscriptions: Capitoline Museums and Capitoline Square. - **Republican and imperial Rome**: the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. - **Unified Italy**: the Vittoriano, the monument to Victor Emmanuel II. - **To connect everything**: ancient Rome sites. ## Understanding it on the spot A guide can explain what the ruins do not say. A small-group guided tour of the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine is the most direct way to put these dates in order, in about 3 hours.
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