- We explain what the Roman Empire was, its characteristics and the dynasties that ruled it. In addition, we discuss the fall of the empire and its culture.
- At the height of its power in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the Roman Empire consisted of some 2.2 million square miles (5.7 million sq. km).
- The Roman Empire began with the reign of Emperor Augustus. The power of the Senate was limited and became an organ to support the emperor.
- Lasting many centuries and spanning over 1.7 million square miles, the Roman Empire was the predominant power in the ancient Western world.
- ] The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire.
- The Roman Empire emerged from the Roman Republic when Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar transformed it from a republic into a monarchy.
- At its peak in the second century AD, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain and Spain in the West to Egypt and Mesopotamia in the East.
- Through wars, conquests, and cultural achievements, the Roman Empire has shaped the course of history in countless ways.
- But Constantine failed to save the empire from decline. The last of his line, Theodosius I (379–395), was the last emperor to rule over a unified Roman Empire.
- Fall of the Roman Empire. During Constantine's reign he ordered the construction of a new city called Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).