Roman Empire

The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa from 27 BC to 476 AD. It was established by Augustus, who became the first Roman emperor after defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 BC. The empire reached its greatest territorial extent under Trajan, but declined in the 3rd century due to civil war, plagues, and barbarian invasions. The empire was later reunified under Aurelian and Diocletian, who divided the empire into two halves, the Latin West and the Greek East. The Western Empire collapsed in 476 AD, while the Eastern Empire survived for another millennium until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The Roman Empire's institutions and culture had a lasting impact on the development of language, religion, art, architecture, and law across its territories, shaping the course of Western civilization.learn more on wikipedia