governed by kings, but after only seven of them had ruled, the Romans took power over their own city and ruled themselves. Rome was founded in 753 BC by twin sons Romulus and Remus who were raised by a wolf. In the beginning of the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on Italy’s central, Tiber River into an empire. At the empire’s peak they controlled most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands. The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, decisively defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic under the consuls Lucius Arminius Paulus and Gaius
