Roman Empire

Roman Empire was a geopolitical entity that emerged in 27 BC following the end of the Roman Republic. It was characterized by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Roman Empire is often divided into two periods: the Principate (27 BC – 284 AD) and the Dominate (284–476).

History

The Roman Empire was established by Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, following the end of the civil wars that plagued the Roman Republic. The period of the Roman Empire is characterized by stability and the consolidation of Roman law, culture, and society.

The Empire reached its greatest extent under Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century AD. However, the following centuries saw periods of decline and recovery, invasions, civil wars, and religious transformation.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, traditionally marks the end of the Roman Empire. The Eastern half became the Byzantine Empire, with its capital at Constantinople (modern Istanbul).

Government and Society

The Roman Empire was characterized by a form of government known as an empire, which is a type of monarchy. The Emperor held supreme authority, and his power was considered absolute.

Roman society was highly stratified, with a clear distinction between the ruling class and the common people. The Roman legal system, known as Roman law, was highly advanced for its time and has had a profound influence on the legal systems of many modern countries.

Culture

Roman culture was a blend of Roman and Greek influences. The Romans excelled in architecture, producing monumental works such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Roman Forum. Latin, the language of the Romans, has had a significant influence on many modern languages.

Legacy

The Roman Empire has left a lasting legacy, influencing the development of art, architecture, law, language, and government in the Western world. The concept of the "Roman Peace" (Pax Romana) has also been influential in the concept of peace through strength.

See also

• Fall of the Western Roman Empire
• Byzantine Empire
• Roman law
• Roman architecture

Timeline of the Roman Empire
<timeline> Preset = TimeHorizontal_AutoPlaceBars_UnitYear ImageSize = width:1600 barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:30 right:45 bottom:40 Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) id:white value:rgb(0,0,0) id:title value:gray(0.875) id:subtitle value:gray(0.75) id:grid1 value:gray(0.7) id:grid2 value:gray(0.88) id:black value:rgb(0,0,0) id:events value:rgb(0.75,1,0.75) id:wars value:rgb(1,0.75,0.75) id:mark1 value:rgb(0,0.7,0) id:mark2 value:rgb(0.7,0,0) id:years value:gray(0.5) id:plague1 value:rgb(1,1,0.4) id:plague2 value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.3) id:period1 value:rgb(1,1,0) id:period2 value:rgb(1,0.75,0) id:people1 value:rgb(0.75,0.75,1) id:people2 value:rgb(0.5,0.5,1) id:caesar value:rgb(1,0.8,0.8) legend:Caesar id:augustus value:rgb(1,0.4,0.4) legend:Augustus id:eastern value:rgb(1,0.8,0.4) legend:Eastern_Half id:western value:rgb(1,0.4,0.8) legend:Western_Half BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas Period = from:-110 till:490 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50 start:-100 gridcolor:grid1 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:10 start:-100 gridcolor:grid2 AlignBars = justify BarData= bar:title bar:dummy0 # separator bar:title_periods bar:periods bar:title_emperors bar:emperors1 bar:emperors2 bar:emperors3 bar:emperors4 bar:title_people barset:people bar:title_wars barset:wars bar:title_events barset:events bar:title_developments barset:developments bar:dummy2 # separator explanation: attribute 'barset' instead of 'bar' means consecutive data lines are automatically placed on new bar data lines are lines containing at: or from: & till: attributes 'barset:break' means 'reset barcounter' = next line will be placed at first bar in barset 'barset:skip' means 'increment barcounter' = skip one bar for next data line (to allow extra space for text containing line break = ~) PlotData = mark:(none,black) color:subtitle fontsize:M width:16 shift:(5,-6) bar:title from:-31 till:end shift:(5,-9) text:"Roman Empire" fontsize:XL anchor:middle align:center width:25 color:title from:start till:-31 text:"Roman Republic" anchor:middle align:center width:25 shift:(5,-4) bar:title_emperors from:start till:end anchor:middle align:center width:15 text:Reigns of the Emperors bar:title_people from:start till:end text:"People" anchor:middle align:center width:15 bar:title_wars from:start till:end text:"Wars" anchor:middle align:center width:15 bar:title_events from:start till:end text:"Other Events" anchor:middle align:center width:15 bar:title_periods from:start till:end text:"Periods" anchor:middle align:center width:15 bar:title_developments from:start till:end text:"Developments" anchor:middle align:center width:15 shift:(5,-5) fontsize:S mark:(line,mark2) color:wars width:22 barset:wars from:-58 till:-49 text:Gallic Wars at:-47 text:Battle of Zela at:-31 text:Battle of Actium barset:break from:-26 till:-19 fontsize:S shift:(2,1) text:War in the~Pyrenees at:9 text:Battle of the Teutoburg Forest at:47 text:conquest of Britain barset:break at:70 text:Siege of Jerusalem barset:break barset:skip from:101 till:102 text:Dacian_Wars barset:break barset:skip from:106 till:107 at:251 text:Battle of Abrittus at:284 text:Bagaudae revolt barset:break at:268 text:Battle of Naissus at:312 text:Battle of Milvian Bridge at:378 text:Battle of Adrianople mark:(line,mark1) color:events width:22 barset:events at:-44 fontsize:S shift:(2,1) text:Assassination of~Julius Caesar at:-27 fontsize:S shift:(2,1) text:Construction of the~Pantheon at:-18 text:lex Julia at:9 text:lex Papia Poppaea barset:break at:64 text:Great fire of Rome #18-19 July at:65 text:Pisonian conspiracy from:72 till:80 shift:(2,1) fontsize:S text:Construction of the~Colosseum at:79 text:Destruction of Pompeii at:113 text:Trajan's Column barset:break from:122 till:132 fontsize:S shift:(2,1) text:Construction of~Hadrian's Wall at:125 fontsize:S shift:(2,1) text:Reconstruction of the~Pantheon from:142 till:144 fontsize:S shift:(2,1) text:Construction of the~Antonine Wall from:165 till:180 color:plague1 mark:(line,plague2) text:Antonine Plague barset:break at:212 text:Constitutio Antoniniana from:212 till:216 shift:(2,1) fontsize:S text:Construction of the~Baths of Caracalla from:251 till:265 color:plague1 mark:(line,plague2) text:Plague of Cyprian #http://www.sonic.net/~rbeale/mysite/Plague of AD251.htm from:258 till:274 text:Gallic Empire at:311 text:Edict of Serdica barset:break at:325 text:First Council of Nicaea at:381 text:First Council of Constantinople at:431 text:Council of Ephesus mark:(none,mark2) color:augustus width:22 bar:emperors1 from:-23 till:14 text:Caesar_Augustus from:41 till:54 text:Claudius from:68 till:69 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Galba from:79 till:81 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Titus from:96 till:98 text:Nerva from:138 till:161 shift:(-15,1) fontsize:S text:Antoninus~Pius color:augustus from:175 till:175 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Avidus~Cassius color:caesar from:193 till:211 shift:(0,1) color:augustus fontsize:S text:Septimius~Severus from:218 till:222 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Elaga-~balus from:235 till:238 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Maximinus~Thrax from:249 till:251 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Decius from:268 till:270 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Claudius_II from:276 till:276 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Florianus from:285 till:305 shift:(30,1) fontsize:S text:Diocletian from:308 till:313 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Maximinus from:337 till:361 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Constantius_II from:364 till:375 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Valentinian_I color:western from:379 till:395 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Theodosius from:408 till:450 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Theodosius_II color:eastern bar:emperors2 from:14 till:37 text:Tiberius from:54 till:68 text:Nero from:69 till:69 text:Vitellius from:98 till:117 text:Trajan from:161 till:180 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Marcus~Aurelius from:192 till:193 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Pertinax from:211 till:217 shift:(-27,-11) fontsize:S text:Caracalla from:222 till:235 shift:(-2,1) fontsize:S text:Alexander~Severus from:238 till:238 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Gordian_I+ from:238 till:238 shift:(52,-11) fontsize:S text:II from:253 till:260 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Gallenius color: caesar from:260 till:268 from:275 till:276 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:M.C.Tacitus from:282 till:283 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Carus from:305 till:306 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Constantius_Chlorus color:augustus from:308 till:324 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Licinius from:337 till:350 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Constans from:363 till:364 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Jovian from:375 till:383 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Gratian from:395 till:423 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Flavius_Augustus_Honorius color:western bar:emperors3 from:37 till:41 text:Caligula color:augustus from:69 till:79 text:Vespasian color:augustus from:117 till:138 text:Hadrian from:161 till:169 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Lucius~Verus from:177 till:180 color:caesar from:180 till:192 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Commodus color:augustus from:209 till:211 shift:(-17,-11) fontsize:S text:Geta from:217 till:218 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Macrinus color:augustus from:238 till:244 shift:(-32,-11) fontsize:S text:Gordian_III from:253 till:260 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Valerian from:270 till:275 shift:(-27,-11) fontsize:S text:Aurelian color:augustus from:276 till:282 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Probus from:286 till:305 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Maximian color:augustus from:306 till:337 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Constantine_I from:361 till:363 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Julian from:375 till:387 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Valentinian_II color:western from:388 till:392 color:western from:395 till:408 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Arcadius color:eastern bar:emperors4 from:69 till:69 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Otho from:81 till:96 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Domitian from:193 till:193 shift:(-76,1) fontsize:S text:Didius_Julianus from:217 till:218 color:caesar from:218 till:218 shift:(-40,1) fontsize:S text:Diadumenian from:238 till:238 shift:(-114,-11) fontsize:S text:Pupienus_and_Balbinus from:238 till:238 shift:(1,-22) fontsize:S text:Pupienus_and_Balbinus from:244 till:249 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Philip_the_Arab from:251 till:251 shift:(0,1) fontsize:S text:Herennius_Etruscus from:283 till:285 shift:(1,-11) fontsize:S text:Carinus+ from:283 till:285 shift:(45,-11) fontsize:S text:Numerian from:305 till:311 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Galerius from:337 till:340 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Constantine_II from:364 till:378 shift:(0,-11) fontsize:S text:Valens color:eastern from:421 till:421 shift:(1,1) fontsize:S text:Constantius_III color:western width:22 bar:periods from:-31 till:14 shift:(4,1) color:period2 text:Age of Augustus from:-31 till:14 shift:(4,1) color:period2 text:[[Roman_Empire�Age_of_Augustus_.2831_BCE.E2.80.93CE_14.29|Age of Augustus]] from:14 till:69 shift:(4,-10) color:period1 text:Julio-Claudian dynasty from:69 till:69 shift:(0,1) mark:(line,mark2) text:Year of the four emperors from:69 till:96 shift:(10,-10) color:period2 text:Flavian dynasty from:96 till:180 shift:(90,1) color:period1 text:Five Good Emperors from:193 till:235 shift:(4,-10) color:period2 text:Severan dynasty from:235 till:284 shift:(4,1) color:period1 text:Crisis of the Third Century from:285 till:324 shift:(4,-10) color:period2 text:Tetrarchy from:324 till:395 shift:(4,1) color:period1 text:Christian Empire from:395 till:476 shift:(4,-10) color:period2 text:Late Antiquity in the West mark:(none,mark2) color:people1 width:22 barset:people from:-106 till:-43 text:Cicero from:-69 till:-30 text:Cleopatra VII of Egypt from:-49 till:17 shift:(4,1) text:Livy~→Ab urbe condita barset:break from:-4 till:65 text:Seneca barset:break from:100 till:178 text:Ptolemy from:56 till:117 text:Tacitus from:46 till:127 text:Plutarch barset:developments color:canvas mark:(none) anchor:middle align:center from:-23 till:14 text:"god-like_emperor_(hereditary)"~"senate_weakened~"citizen→professional_army"~"Praetorian_Guard_created"~"trade_links→India/China" # Caesar_Augustus barset:break from:14 till:69 text:terror~madness~expansion~revolts barset:break from:69 till:96 shift:(-10) text:stability~more_autocratic_rule~tax_reforms~influence→provinces~many_public_works~bread_and_games barset:break from:98 till:117 shift:(40) text:conquests_in_Balkan~+_temp._Near_Asia~permanent_forts~around_empire~(limes) barset:break from:161 till:180 text:constant wars~(Germania,Parthia)~embassy_in_China from:180 till:192 text:_~tyranny,~madness_and~corruption barset:break from:193 till:211 text:dictator~moral~cleansing shift:(-2) from:211 till:217 text:_~all_free_men~become_Roman~citizen barset:break from:217 till:235 text:revolt~crisis_of~faith shift:(-4) # no room for ~'enlightment' barset:break from:235 till:260 text:revolt~revolt~conquests~revolt~Goths appear~revolt~revolt from:235 till:260 text:many_emperors~killed_in~revolts~_~Goths appear TextData = textcolor:black fontsize:S pos:(30,2) text:"produced with EasyTimeline" pos:(100,2) text:"EasyTimeline" pos:(620,2) text:"reference" pos:(667,2) text:"Roman Empire" </timeline>
Notes: