The Roman Empire is known for being one of the largest empires in history. It was also one of the longest-lasting empires, lasting from about 500 BCE to about 500 CE. The empire began as a small village, but quickly grew into an empire that controlled much of Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia.
The Roman Empire was founded by people from Italy who were known as the Etruscans and Greeks. These groups settled on the banks of the Tiber River in about 700 BCE, which later became Rome.
Rome was first settled as 300 small villages. By 500 BCE, these villages had grown into larger cities with walls around them called “castra.” Around this time, Rome split into two parts: one part was ruled by kings while the other was ruled by elected officials called “tribunes.”
In 509 BCE, a group of Roman citizens overthrew their king and created an elected government called a republic (meaning “rule by the people”). This was the beginning of ancient Rome’s Republic era which lasted until 27 BCE when it became an empire under Augustus Caesar (Octavian).
The Roman Empire was a state that encompassed much of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East during Classical Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Ancient Rome is a large area including parts of the Mediterranean region that are today known as Austria, Hungary, Turkey, and Romania. At its height, it was one of the largest empires in history.
Roman civilization is also known for its contributions to law, government, technology, warfare and language in particular Latin.
