Civilization · 27 BCE – 476 CE (West) / 1453 (East)
Roman Empire
The Mediterranean-wide state that gave the West its law, roads and Latin heritage.
Capital: Rome, Constantinople · Western Europe
Overview
Rome grew from an Italian city-state to an empire encircling the Mediterranean. Its legions, aqueducts, roads and legal tradition set the template of European statehood; Latin became the mother of the Romance languages.
Timeline
- 753 BCETraditional founding of Rome
- 509 BCERoman Republic established
- 27 BCEAugustus becomes princeps
- 117 CEEmpire reaches greatest extent under Trajan
- 313Edict of Milan legalizes Christianity
- 476Deposition of Romulus Augustulus in the West
- 1453Fall of Constantinople
Rulers
First emperor and founder of the Principate
Empire at greatest extent
Consolidated frontiers; built the Wall
Philosopher-emperor
Christianized the empire
Reconquered the West; codified Roman law
Wars & conflicts
- Punic Wars
- Gallic Wars
- Jewish-Roman Wars
- Marcomannic Wars
- Sassanian wars
Architecture
Arches, vaults, concrete, the dome (Pantheon), aqueducts, basilicas, the Colosseum.
Religion
Traditional polytheism, imperial cult, then Christianity from the 4th century.
Economy
Slave-based agriculture, Mediterranean trade, mining, a common currency and unified market.
Technology
Concrete, road engineering, water supply, siege engines, surgical instruments.
Art
Realistic portrait sculpture, mosaics, fresco painting, monumental columns.
Influence
Roman law underlies most Continental European legal systems; the Catholic Church inherited Rome's administrative structures.
Decline
Barbarian migrations, economic contraction, political fragmentation and religious change ended the Western empire; the East endured a millennium longer as Byzantium.
Key sites
- Roman Forum
- Colosseum
- Pantheon
- Hadrian's Wall
- Pompeii
- Baalbek