The Roman Empire

Anno Urbis

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!
roman empire


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") 2759.

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 11 - Irene
    When the weak, ineffectual emperor Leo IV died in 780, he left the empire divided and in the hands of an orphan from Athens; the beautiful and grasping Empress Irene. 17 years later she was crowned as sole ruler after murdering her own son to take his place. It was hardly an auspicious start, beset by enemies on every border, the empire was now facing its most serious internal threat; the terrible iconoclastic controversy. Successive emperors had neglected the frontiers to concentrate on the war against icons, and in the process had not only weakened the state, but had destroyed some of the finest works of art the Byzantine world ever produced. Even worse, an emperor had at last returned to the long vacant throne of the West, to challenge Byzantium's claim of universal temporal domination. If ever the empire had needed strong leadership, it was now. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at the reign of Irene; the only woman to rule the empire, not as Queen or Regent, but as a King.

    Roman Thoughts About Old Age

    Cicero, one of the greatest men of letters in the Roman Empire had this to say about old age, and death:
    Indeed I do not see why I should not venture to tell you what I myself think concerning death, because I fancy I see it so much more clearly, in proportion as I am less distant from it. I am persuaded that your fathers ..., men of the greatest eminence and very dear friends of mine, are living; and that life, too, which alone deserves the name of life. For whilst we are shut up in in this prison of the body we are fulfilling as it were the function and painful task of destiny, for the heaven-born soul has been degraded from its dwelling place abovem and it were buried in the earth, a situation uncongenial to its divine and immortal nature.



    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 6 - Zeno
    By the middle of the 5th Century the Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse. Its emperors were mere puppets, its armies were in chaos, and enemies were closing in on all sides. Unable to sustain itself, the West collapsed, plunging Europe into the Dark Ages. By all accounts, the East should have followed suit, and yet, unexpectedly, the Eastern emperor slipped free of his barbarian master and saved the tottering state. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at Zeno, the unlikely savior of the Byzantine Empire.

    From Alexander to Cleopatra
    A comparative review by Ursus to "The Hellenistic World""Michael Grant, one of the seminal giants of classical studies, provides a thorough examination of the Hellenistic world in From Alexander to Cleopatra. While 25 years old since its original printing, the tome still serves as a comprehensive and readable survey. It ...

    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 ...


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