Territorial development of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire (Animated map) The history of the Roman Empire covers the history of ancient Rome from the traditional end of the Roman Republic in 27 BC until the abdication of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476 in the West, and the Fall of Constantinople in the East in 1453.
Roman Empire, the ancient empire, centered on the city of Rome, that was established in 27 BCE following the demise of the Roman Republic and continuing to the final eclipse of the empire in the West in the 5th century CE. Learn more about the Roman Empire in this article.
However, whereas the Roman Empire lasted from about 30 BCE to 476 CE, Ancient Roman civilization emerged long before, in the centuries after 800 BCE. This article deals primarily with Roman life and culture.
The Roman Empire, founded in 27 B.C., was a vast and powerful domain that gave rise to the culture, laws, technologies and institutions that continue to define Western civilization.
During the classical period, the Roman Empire controlled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. The Romans conquered most of these territories in the time of the Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian 's assumption of power in 27 BC.