Rome’s power truly elevated after the Romans kicked their distant cousins, the Etruscans, out of the city in 509 BCE (Before the Christian Era). Although the Etruscans ruled Rome for nearly 200 years, the tables began to turn once control was back in the right hands. And with the establishment of an incredible republican political system that consisted of a 300-man senate, the desire to maintain a balance of power in different parts of the Mediterranean would give way to the most successful empire in all of history: the Roman Empire.

However, other than the inner workings of the Roman Senate and the birth of a great dominant force, what exactly do we know about the city of Rome and the people who occupied it? What is behind Roman culture and lifestyle, other than the Coliseum and Julius Caesar? Just in case you slept through your history class, the guys behind MentalFloss.com and writers of the recently released book The Mental Floss History of the World, an irreverent romp through world civilization’s best bits, can answer that question with some interesting tidbits that you may have missed along the way. So here are 5 things you didn't know about Rome.

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