Roman Empire - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Overview

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

period of the ancient Roman civilization

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

, characterised by an autocratic

Autocracy

An autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...

form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean.

The 500-year-old Roman Republic

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

, which preceded it, had been weakened and subverted

Subversion (politics)

Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order, its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy; examples of such structures include the State. In this context, a "subversive" is sometimes called a "traitor" with respect to the government in-power. A subversive is...

through several civil wars

Roman civil wars

There were several Roman civil wars, especially during the late Republic. The most famous of these are the war in the 40s BC between Julius Caesar and the optimate faction of the senatorial elite initially led by Pompey and the subsequent war between Caesar's successors, Octavian and Mark Antony in...

. Several events are commonly proposed to mark the transition from Republic to Empire, including Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....

's appointment as perpetual dictator

Roman dictator

In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...

(44 BC), the Battle of Actium

Battle of Actium

The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman...

( 31 BC), and the Roman Senate's granting to Octavian the honorific

Honorific

An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...

Augustus

Augustus (honorific)

Augustus , Latin for "majestic," "the increaser," or "venerable", was an Ancient Roman title, which was first held by Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus , and subsequently came to be considered one of the titles of what are now known as the Roman Emperors...

( 27 BC).

Roman expansion began in the days of the Republic, but the Empire reached its greatest extent under Emperor Trajan

Trajan

Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...

: during his reign (98 to 117 AD) the Roman Empire controlled approximately km² of land surface.

Unanswered Questions

Did the romans quarry slate for tomen-y-mur

I am looking for information on a petrified wood carving found under a bridge in Germany in 1970. The story said something about a trio of a King, Qu...

How was roman villas built

What importance were atletes in the roman empire? Why does the apostle Paul makes reference to them?

Where can I find a Flag or poster like the "SQPR" slogan ?

Does anyone know a popular roman wall painting in third style ?

More

Discussions

What preceded the Roman Empire?

ROME

What was gaius octavius role in the roman empire

What was Julius Caesar like personality wise?

The British Empire..

Adam Stefanile:UNESCO World Heritage Sites

More

Timeline

215 BC A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.

44 BC Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators on the Ides of March.

43 BC Octavian, later known as Augustus, compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul.

27 BC The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.

8 Roman Empire general Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus.

37 Caligula becomes Roman Emperor after the death of his great uncle, Tiberius.

37 The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius's will and proclaims Caligula emperor.

37 Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate.

41 After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate.

51 Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title ''princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).

53 Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia

55 Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome. This clears the way for Nero to become Emperor.

68 The Roman Senate proclaims Galba as emperor.

68 Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, after quoting Homer's ''Iliad''.

More