'King's supreme ability is to imagine himself into the past. The scope of his knowledge is staggering' JOHN CAREY, SUNDAY TIMES At its largest extent, the Roman Empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Irish Sea, from North Africa to central Europe. A fifth of the world's population were Roman citizens. Even after the empire's dramatic decline and fall, its legacy continued to shape politics and laws, language and numerals, calendars and architecture. But what was Rome, who were the Romans, how did they achieve such domination - and why did their mighty empire fall? Ross King's cast of characters includes murderous emperors, rebellious women, remarkable thinkers, fugitive slaves and persecuted Christians. From the foundation myths of Romulus and Remus to the barbarian invasions, this is an unputdownable account of one of the greatest empires the world has seen.
Ross King is the author of many bestselling and acclaimed books about Italy, including The Shortest History of Italy, The Bookseller of Florence, Brunelleschi's Dome, Leonardo and the Last Supper and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. He lives near Oxford.
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Weitere Infos & Material
| PREHISTORIC ROME | c. 1000 BCE | Evidence of early settlement on the Palatine Hill. |
| c. 800–750 BCE | Formation of small villages around the Tiber River. |
| 753 BCE | Traditional date for the founding of Rome by Romulus. |
| 753–509 BCE | Rule of the seven legendary kings of Rome (Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, Tarquinius Superbus). |
| THE ROMAN REPUBLIC (509–27 BCE) | 509 BCE | Establishment of the Roman Republic after the expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus. |
| c. 450 BCE | Creation of the Twelve Tables, Rome’s first codification of laws. |
| 396 BCE | Conquest of the Etruscan city of Veii, significant expansion of Roman territory. |
| c. 390 BCE | Sack of Rome by the Gauls and the construction of the Servian Wall. |
| 343–290 BCE | The three Samnite Wars, including the Battle of the Caudine Forks (321 BCE) in the Second Samnite War. |
| 264–241 BCE | First Punic War against Carthage, leading to Roman control over Sicily. |
| 218–201 BCE | Second Punic War, highlighted by Hannibal’s invasion of Italy. |
| 146 BCE | Destruction of Carthage and Corinth, establishing Roman dominance in the Mediterranean. |
| 133–121 BCE | The Gracchi brothers’ attempted reforms and subsequent social unrest. |
| 107–86 BCE | Military reforms and the rise of Gaius Marius. |
| 91–88 BCE | Uprising of the socii against Rome in the Social War. |
| 82–81 BCE | Dictatorship of Sulla and subsequent constitutional reforms. |
| 60 BCE | Formation of the First Triumvirate (Julius Caesar, Pompey, Crassus). |
| 49–45 BCE | Caesar’s civil war, leading to Julius Caesar’s dictatorship. |
| 44 BCE | Assassination of Julius Caesar. |
| 43–33 BCE | Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus). |
| 31 BCE | The Battle of Actium, Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra. |
| THE ROMAN EMPIRE (27 BCE – 476 CE) | 27 BCE | Octavian becomes Augustus, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. |
| c. 20 BCE | Construction of the Ara Pacis, an altar to Peace. |
| 9 CE | The Romans suffer a devastating defeat to the Cherusci at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. |
| 14 CE | Death of Augustus, Tiberius becomes emperor. |
| 37–41 CE | Reign of Caligula, known for his cruel and erratic behaviour. |
| 41–54 CE | Reign of Claudius, who expanded the Empire and built the Aqua Claudia. |
| 54–68 CE | Reign of Nero, known for the Great Fire of Rome and his artistic ambitions. |
| 64 CE | St Peter executed in Rome. |
| 69 CE | Year of the Four Emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian). |
| 70 CE | Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by Titus. |
| 79 CE | Eruption of Vesuvius, with the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. |
| 98–117 | Reign of Trajan, who expands the Empire to its greatest extent. |
| 113 | Trajan’s Column erected to commemorate his victories in Dacia. |
| 117–138 | Reign of Hadrian, known for Hadrian’s Wall in Britain and the Pantheon in Rome. |
| 161–180 | Reign of Marcus Aurelius, known for his philosophical work Meditations. |
| 180–192 | Reign of Commodus, whose rule marks the beginning of the Empire’s decline. |
| 212 | Caracalla’s edict granting Roman citizenship to all free men in the Empire. |
| 235–284 | Crisis of the Third Century, a period of military, political and economic turmoil. |
| 271–75 | Construction of the Aurelian Walls. |
| 284–305 | Reign of Diocletian, who introduces the Tetrarchy to... |
