Knowledge – History: How Rome left an Enduring Legacy

The Roman Empire – The rise and legacy

The Roman Empire is one of history’s most interesting and significant civilizations. The Roman Empire was established in 27 BC and lasted about 500 years, spanning Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. But how did the Roman Empire arise? The emergence of the Roman Empire is a complicated narrative involving a variety of causes such as military conquest, political intrigue, and cultural absorption.

Italy was a patchwork of local city-states and tribes for millennia before the establishment of the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic was established in 509 BC, following the overthrow of Rome’s last monarch by a group of aristocrats. The Roman Republic extended its territory during the following few centuries through a succession of wars and conquests. By the end of the third century BC, Rome had conquered much of Italy, including the great North African city-state of Carthage.

When Augustus became the first Roman Emperor in 27 BC, the Roman Republic fell and the Roman Empire was born. Augustus was successful in consolidating power and establishing a stable administration, allowing the empire to grow even farther. The Roman Empire consolidated the Mediterranean globe under a common political and cultural framework, and the empire rose to become a dominant power in the ancient world.