The site of modern Rome may have been inhabited as early as 1400 BC. Influenced by the Etruscans, Romans built temples to the gods Juno, Minerva and Jupiter in the area by 500 BC. A Jewish community was established in Rome in 161 BC, making the city one of the oldest continuous Jewish settlements in the world.
In the 1st century AD, Rome became a major center of early Christianity. A significant Christian community was established in Rome by the time Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans, and the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred there.
In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine both converted to Christianity and moved the political capital to Constantinople (Istanbul). Christianity's new privileged status, the new power vacuum in Rome, and the strong Christian community in Rome combined to make the Bishop of Rome became a powerful figure in Europe.
By the end of the 5th century, the Roman Bishop was known as the pope ("father"), the pontifex maximus ("chief priest," a title inherited from Roman religion), and vicar (representative) of Christ.
In 756, Rome became the capital of the Italian territory of the Papal States, which were ruled at least in name by the papacy. After the suppression of the Republic of 1434, the government of Rome combined with the ecclesiastical bureaucracy and Rome became the worldwide center of Christianity. It also became one of the most important cities in Europe.
In 1555, the Pope decreed that all Jews of the Roman Empire must live only in the ghettos. Rome's ghetto remains a Jewish neighborhood to this day. Not until 1870, when Italy was united, were Jews were given full citizenship.
