At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from modern-day Britain to Morocco, and from Spain to Syria. This course examines the capital city of this hegemonic power, analyzing the monuments and topography embellishing the so-called caput mundi from its founding in the eighth century BCEonward. Emphasis is given to the late Republican and early Imperial pe riods (the 2nd c. BCE 3rd c. CE) and to contextualizing the monumentsand dynastic building programs of Rome within their urban context. The various archaeological and art historical approaches taken to topics such as the creation of monumentality; Roman identity; and theimpact ofcultural exchanges between the Romans and their conquered nations willalso be examined as a means of understanding and interpreting the Roman cityscape.