Historical development of Roman Empire

Date Event The Story

Legend has it that on the 21st of April, brothers Romulus and

The founding of
753 BCE Remus founded Rome. Romulus eventually kills Remus to become the first
Rome
king and names the city after himself.

The Republic After the last of seven kings, Rome begins the Republic period during which
509 BCE
begins it is ruled by senators and has a constitution.

Hannibal of Carthage attacks Rome and invades Italy during the Second
218 BCE Hannibal invades
Punic War.

Spartacus slave Spartacus, a gladiator, leads an army of slaves in a series of battles.

73 BCE
uprising Spartacus and his men were caught and crucified.

Julius Caesar After Julius Caesar wins the civil war, he establishes himself as a dictator
45 BCE
becomes a dictator for life and supreme ruler of Rome, thus ending the Roman Republic.

The death of Julius On March 15th, known today as the Ides of March, Caesar is assassinated
44 BCE
Caesar on the steps of the Senate by factions wishing to bring back the Republic.

The Roman Empire Even though Caesar was a dictator, the first leader to call himself
27 BCE
begins ''Emperor'' or Augustus was Octavius.

The Great Fire of Most of the city is destroyed in a vast fire. Emperor Nero has often been
64 CE
Rome blamed, but modern scholarship doubts this.

Building of the One of the most iconic ancient buildings in Rome, the completion of the
80 CE
Colosseum structure was a massive celebration.

A wall was built across the North of England and marked the northern
122 CE Hadrian's Wall
boundary of the Roman Empire.

Constantine This marks a change in the way that Christians were treated in Rome.
306 CE
becomes emperor Constantine himself became a Christian.

380 CE Christianity This will have an effect on the rest of European history to the present day.
 becomes the
official religion

In an effort to make administration of the vast empire easier, Rome

395 CE Rome splits becomes two separate empires (Western Roman Empire and Eastern
Roman Empire) with two capitals and two rulers.

The attack of the This marks the beginning of the fatal weakening of Rome that would lead to
410 CE
Visigoths its downfall.

The end of the

The last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus is deposed and the Middle
476 CE Western Roman
Ages begin.
Empire

1. The patricians were the ruling class of the early Roman Empire. Only certain families were part of
the patrician class and you had to be born a patrician. The patricians were only a small percentage of
the Roman population, but they held all the power.
2. The Romans also made pictures from colored tiles call mosaics. The mosaics have been able to
survive the test of time better than the paintings. Mosaics could be art on a wall, but also worked as
decorative flooring.
3. Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD) The Roman Empire was founded when Augustus Caesar proclaimed
himself the first emperor of Rome in 31BC and came to an end with the fall of Constantinople in
1453CE.
4. Shortly into Emperor Caligula's rule, he fell ill from what many suggest was syphilis. He never
recovered mentally and became a ruthless, wanton killer of Roman citizens, including even his
family.
5. The main drink of the Romans was wine. It was often watered down for daily consumption.