Ancient Rome was a civilization that developed from a tiny settlement to one of the largest empires in the ancient world between the 10th and 1st century BC. The Roman Empire extended its political control over all of Italy, and at its peak, stretched from England to North Africa and from the Atlantic Ocean to Arabia. The Romans contributed greatly to the development of law, war, art, literature, architecture, technology and language in the Western world, and their history continues to have a major influence on the world today.