In its first few centuries, Rome grew from a minor settlement on the Tiber River to the most powerful city-state in all of Italy. This book maps the drivers of Rome's expansion and takes stock of its successes within a highly competitive environment. It notes what the city-state owed to its neighbors and identifies the key characteristics, such as a powerful ruling elite, stable political institutions, openness to outsiders, and intense militarism, that contributed to Rome's ascendance and shaped its monarchy and republic.