Over two thousand years, Rome’s highest power passed from the Senate of the Republic, to the emperors, to the popes of the Vatican. This thread walks the migration of power — one city, three different answers to "who is in charge."
Heart of the Republic: the Senate, the rostra, Caesar stabbed nearby.
The winner of the Forum’s politics — he turned the Republic into an empire.
The empire’s sacred hill: the temple of Jupiter, where triumphant generals sacrificed.
Power’s terminus: the pope replaced the emperor as Rome’s new master for two thousand years.
The source of this new chain of power — a fisherman, the "predecessor" of every pope.