Rome was located in central Italy and strategically positioned for trade, with access to the Mediterranean Sea. It began as a small settlement founded by Romulus and Remus on seven hills along the Tiber River. Over centuries of expansion through military conquests and maintaining peace (Pax Romana), Rome came to control a vast empire throughout Europe and around the Mediterranean. Roman culture had profound and lasting influences in the areas of law, language, engineering, architecture, literature, and religion.