The Roman Empire

Anno Urbis

roman empire This site is dedicated to bringing you information about the wonder that was the Roman Empire and how its legacy still shapes our history, our language, and the foundations of our society and its institutions. The Roman Empire endures!




The City of Rome was traditionally founded in 753 B.C. by our calendar. The Romans measured their calendar from the foundation of the City, or "Anno urbis conditae". By their calendar, today is Anno Urbis ("The Year of the City") 2761.

Below you will find a number of texts and resources that will be of use to anyone interested in the Roman Empire. Currently the documents are presented in small readable segments which allow you to browse these text books online. We have also added a site wide search engine to make finding information about the Roman Empire easier. And we have introduced a forum where anyone interested in roman history or society can post ideas or ask questions. We also think that it would be interesting to have a "What if" or "Alternate History" section to discuss what might have happened if for example, Julius Caesar had heeded the warnings and escaped assassination, or if the Emperor Valens had won the battle of Adrianoples instead of the Roman Army being destroyed by the barbarian invaders. Our world would definitely be different today. This is where you can let your imagination reshape our history.

 

 

Roman Empire - Texts and Resources

  • Bulfinch's Age of Fable - an important reference work giving descriptions of Roman and Greek myths and their gods.
  • Ancient Rome - The Story of Rome's Foundation and early history, until the end of the Monarchy and establishment of the Republic.
  • The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - The Classic 6 Volume Work by Gibbon is presented in full online.
  • The Old Roman World: The Failure and Grandeur of Its Civilization - Beneath the pomp and pageantry, marble buildings and glory of empire, Rome was rotten to the core.
  • The Last of the Tribunes - A work of fiction by the author who gave us "it was a dark and stormy night ..."
  • A History of Rome During the later Republic and Early Principate - the title says it all.
  • Latin Authors - A small but growing collection of Roman authors such as Caesar, Horace and Cicero.
  • A Latin Reader - This introductory latin text introduces easy Latin phrases and passages from classical authors so you can practice your transalation skills.
  • Social Life at Rome at the Time of Cicero - A candid account of what it was like to live in Rome at its height. A treasure trove of information.
  • Roman History By Titus Livius - A classic history of Rome by one of its greatest authors. This is how the Romans saw themselves.
  • Ruins, or Meditations on the Revolutions of Empire - Not strictly just about Rome, but it has a lot to say about the fall of civilizations.
  • Roman Religion - A history of the development of Roman Religion from the earliest days Rome until the coming of Christianity.
  • The Story of Rome From the Earliest Times to the End of the Republic - How did Rome come to dominate the Italian peninsula.
  • Ancient Civilizations - The History of the Roman Empire's competitors: Greece, The Etruscans, The Parthian Empire and more ...
  • Suetonius's Lives of the Twelve Caesars - A candid biography of the twelve Caesars who shaped the fate of the Empire and the Western world we know today. Written by a contemporary.
  • Plutarch's Lives - The classic work by Plutarch, comparing the lives and characters of prominent Romans to Greek counterparts.
  • Life in the Roman World of Nero and Saint Paul
  • Julius Caesar
  • Atlas of the Roman Empire - excellent detailed maps of the principal provinces and regions of the Empire as well as neighbouring states. [New]

            More Texts About the Roman Empire ....

    • Roman Empire News


    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 13 - Basil II
    By the time Basil II was crowned at age two, the Macedonian Dynasty had led the Byzantine Empire to seemingly endless military victories and unprecedented heights of glory. However it was not the emperors who had accomplished so much, but their powerful generals. In fact Basil's dynasty seemed to be in danger of becoming purely ceremonial or disappearing completely. The young emperor, dominated completely by his regents, seemed unlikely to change things. There was no trace of the heroic about him, no charisma or sparkling personality, and yet he was to emerge as the greatest emperor of his dynasty- bending the army, the empire, and foreign princes alike to the force of his will. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at the reign of Basil II, the last great conqueror Byzantium ever produced.

    Propertius
    A love-struck Roman male was once construed an oxymoron. The Latin mos maiorum placed duty to the state above all other considerations, including romance. Had not Aeneas sacrificed his love for Dido in siring the Roman race? And yet it was Rome that developed the love elegy, the poet's exaltation ...

    The Last Days of the Emperor Otho

    The following is an account of the last days of the Emperor Otho, as told by the Roman historian C. Cornelius Tacitus:

    "Otho, in the mean time, having taken his resolution, waited, without trepidation, for an account of the event. First, rumours of a melancholy character reached his ears; soon after, fugitives, who escaped from the field, brought sure intelligence that all was lost. The fervor of the soldiers staid not for the voice of the emperor; they bade him summon up his best resolution: there were forces still in reserve and in their prince's cause they were ready to suffer and and dare the utmost."

    But the Emperor declined their offer. He stated "To expose to further perils such spriit and such virtue as you now display, would, I deem, be paying too costly a price for my life."

    In the morning the Emperor committed suicide by falling on his sword. He was borne to his funeral on the soldiers of the praetorian guard, and his soldiers kissed his hands and his wounds amidst tears and praises. Some of the soldiers slew themselves and threw themselves on the funeral pile. The Emperor was 37 years old when he died.



    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 16 - Constantine XI
    The 14th century was not a kind one for Byzantium. The Fourth Crusade had left it a hollow shell of itself, fatally crippled in the face of Turkish aggression. A series of forgettable rulers did what they could, but by the middle of the next century all hope was lost. Surrounded on all sides by the hostile Turks, the once vast empire had shrunk to little more than the city of Constantinople itself. Led by the indomitable Constantine XI, the Byzantines faced certain destruction and fearsome new weapons of war with dignity and courage, determined to go down fighting with heads held high. Join Lars Brownworth as he talks about the last of the Byzantine Emperors, Constantine XI whose heroic final defense of the city earned him recognition as the first Greek National Martyr.

    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 3 - Constantine - Part 1
    From the chaotic background of the tetrarchy, a vulnerable staff officer would navigate the treacherous waters of the empire and eventually emerge as Emperor. How could such an unlikely man unify the empire under one ruler? In this lecture, Lars Brownworth explores the rise to power of one of Western History's most pivotal figures: Constantine.

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