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Ancient Rome was an
Italic civilization that began on the
Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the
Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of
Rome, it expanded to become one of the
largest empires in the
ancient world with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world's population) and covering 6.5 million square kilometers (2.5 million sq mi) during its height between the first and second centuries AD.