Ancient Rome was a civilization that started in the city of Rome on the Italian Peninsula. Roman civilization was the most important civilization in the Mediterranean region, Europe and the Near East from the late 3rd century BC. Roman civilization existed throughout Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and the Middle Ages. However, "Ancient Rome" means the ancient history of Roman civilization before the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the fall of the western Roman Empire during the 5th century AD is the start of the Middle Ages in Western Europe.

Animated map of the ancient Roman lands from the rise Rome to the fall of the western Roman Empire (6th century BC – 480 AD)