Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the imperial phase of ancient Rome, beginning with Augustus, during which Rome ruled the Mediterranean world and much of Europe and the Near East for centuries.

Key Takeaways

• The Roman Empire began with Augustus in 27 BC.
• The Pax Romana brought two centuries of relative peace and prosperity.
• Rome spread law, engineering, Latin and later Christianity across its lands.
• The Western empire fell in 476 AD, but its legacy shaped Europe permanently.

Founded when Augustus ended the Republic's civil wars, the Roman Empire brought the Pax Romana, monumental engineering, codified law and the spread of Christianity, shaping Western civilization for two thousand years.

The Roman Empire was the imperial culmination of ancient Rome. It began in 27 BC when Augustus, heir of Julius Caesar, ended the civil wars of the Republic and became Rome’s first emperor.

For two centuries the Pax Romana brought relative peace to a realm stretching from Britain to the Euphrates. Rome’s engineers raised aqueducts, roads and monuments; its jurists shaped Western law; and within its borders Christianity spread across the world.

Among its emperors was the philosopher Marcus Aurelius, whose reign marked the height of the empire. The Western empire finally fell in 476 AD, dissolving into the kingdoms of the Middle Ages — but Rome’s law, language and legacy endured.

Key Events

• Augustus becomes first emperor (27 BC)
• The Pax Romana
• The reign of Marcus Aurelius
• The fall of the Western Empire (476 AD)

Major Ideas

• Imperial government
• Roman law
• The spread of Christianity

Major Inventions

• Concrete and monumental engineering
• Aqueducts and road networks

Important Figures of Roman Empire

Augustus

94

Emperor · 63 BC – 14

Augustus was the first Roman emperor, the heir of Julius Caesar who ended a century of civil war, established the Roman Empire, and inaugurated the Pax Romana.

• First Roman emperor
• The Pax Romana

Marcus Aurelius

90

Emperor · 121 – 180

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, the last of the "Five Good Emperors", whose private journal, the Meditations, is the most cherished work of Stoic thought.

• The Meditations
• Stoic philosophy

Augustus

94

Emperor · 63 BC – 14

Augustus was the first Roman emperor, the heir of Julius Caesar who ended a century of civil war, established the Roman Empire, and inaugurated the Pax Romana.

• First Roman emperor
• The Pax Romana

Marcus Aurelius

90

Emperor · 121 – 180

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, the last of the "Five Good Emperors", whose private journal, the Meditations, is the most cherished work of Stoic thought.

• The Meditations
• Stoic philosophy

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Roman Empire begin?

The Roman Empire began in 27 BC, when Octavian was granted the title Augustus and became Rome's first emperor, ending the Roman Republic.