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


    Review: The Roman Empire: from Severus to Constantine
    "Lucid" is how I would describe Southern's work, employing the same adjective the publisher used in the back cover promotion. David Potter's Roman Empire at Bay was an informative study of the same time period, but so packed with academic postmodern jargon that is was distracting. Southern definitely writes for ...

    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 9 - Justinian - Part 3
    With the reconquest of Italy seemingly complete and the Persian threat momentarily neutralized by the plague, Justinian could at last afford to rest. But the empire's enemies were everywhere- the plague abated and a charismatic new Gothic king arose in Italy. The empire could ill afford to keep its greatest general in disgrace, and Justinian would once again turn to the man he could never quite bring himself to trust. The final decade of his life would see the fruition of his epic dreams of reconquest, as well as the restoration of the building that still stands as the greatest testament to his reign. It would be the final act of a cast of characters the likes of whom the empire would never see again. Join Lars Brownworth for the conclusion of the reign of Justinian, the last of the Roman Emperors.

    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 15 - Isaac
    Isaac Angelus was never meant for the throne. He should have lived out his life in comfortable obscurity, but instead found imperial power thrust upon him as Alexius I's brilliant dynasty came to a bloody and decadent conclusion. Unfortunately he and his son were to prove completely unfit for the office, inviting one of the greatest calamities in history down upon their heads, fatally weakening the empire. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at the reign of Isaac Angelus as it inexorably descended into the tragedy of the Fourth Crusade.

    12 Byzantine Rulers: Part 12 - Basil I
    Basil I was hardly a promising candidate to usher in a new golden age to the Byzantine Empire. A poor, illiterate Armenian peasant, he was kidnapped by raiding Bulgarians as a boy, and only managed to escape in his mid twenties. Renowned for his great strength and skill with horses, he found work as a stable hand and grew into a violent, ambitious man, whose thirst for power led him to commit two of the foulest murders that even Byzantine history has to offer. And yet, against the odds, his reign was the most successful of the century, and the Macedonian dynasty that he would found, would bring the empire to the height of its power and prestige. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at the reign of the emperor Basil the Macedonian.

    Review; Twelve Caesar's
    Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was born around that fateful year of 69 CE. It was then that the Julio-Claudian dynasty finally collapsed without a direct heir. Senatorial commanders of provincial armies took to the battlefields to decide the issue of succession. Suetonius' own father, a military tribune, had fought at the ...


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