600 BC--476

1st. The establishment of Roma

600 BCE

600 BC The Etruscans establish cities from northern to central Italy.

6th. War with Carthage (First Punic War)

264 BCE

The First Punic War was fought partly on land in Sicily and Africa, but was largely a naval war. The Mamertines enlisted the aid of the Carthaginian navy, and subsequently betrayed them by entreating the Roman Senate for aid against Carthage. The Romans sent a garrison to secure Messina, so the outraged Carthaginians then lent aid to Syracuse. Tensions quickly escalated into a full-scale war between Carthage and Rome for the control of Sicily.

7th. 135BC First Servile War

135 BCE

135-132 BC First Servile War prompted by slave revolts.The First Servile War of 135–132 BC was an unsuccessful slave rebellion against the Roman Republic. The war was prompted by slave revolts in Enna on the island of Sicily. It was led by Eunus, a former slave claiming to be a prophet, and Cleon, a Cilician (from present-day Turkey) who became Eunus's military commander. After some minor battles won by the slaves, a larger Roman army arrived in Sicily and defeated the rebels.

5th. Fire destroyed much of Rome

64

Fire destroyed much of Rome - the Christians are blamed for the destruction. The Great Fire of Rome was an urban fire in the year AD 64. It caused widespread devastation, before being brought under control after six days. According to Tacitus and later Christians, Nero blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire's first persecution against the Christians.

8th. The death of Nero ended the infamous Julio-Claudian dynasty

68

The last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was Nero, who was Claudius’ grandnephew. He took the throne at 17 years old, and he was considered more of an artist than a warrior. It is rumored that he played the fiddle during the infamous Roman fire in 64 CE, but that is likely untrue. Afterwards, he spent vast amounts rebuilding the city, restoring its prosperity. Nero committed suicide in 68 CE, ending the family’s rule.

11st. Commodus succeeds his father Marcus Aurelius and gains imperial power

180

His accession was the first time a son had succeeded his biological father since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79. He was also the first emperor to have both a father and grandfather as the two preceding emperors.
During his solo reign, the Empire enjoyed a period of reduced military conflict, but intrigues and conspiracies abounded, leading Commodus to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership that culminated in a God-like personality cult.

9th. Constantine becomes the first Christian emperor

305

Constantine's decision to cease the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was a turning point for early Christianity, sometimes referred to as the Triumph of the Church, the Peace of the Church or the Constantinian shift.In 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan decriminalizing Christian worship. He is revered as a saint and isapostolos in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and various Eastern Catholic Churches for his example as "Christian monarch."

10th. Christianity is declared the sole religion

380

Christianity is declared the sole religion of the Roman Empire by Theodosius I. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. He issued decrees that effectively made Nicene Christianity the official state church of the Roman Empire.

3rd. Rome splits

395

In 395 AD, Rome split into two empires - the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Each side had a ruler in charge of it. The Roman Empire was split by Theodosius.

4th. The prefigure of the total decline of the Roman Empire

410

The city was attacked by the Visigoths led by King Alaric. At that time, Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a paramount position as "the eternal city" and a spiritual center of the Empire. The sack was a major shock to contemporaries, friends and foes of the Empire alike.The sacking of 410 is seen as a major landmark in the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

12nd. The last Roman Emperor was Romulus Augustulus

476

He was defeated by Odoacer who was a German Goth. His deposition marks the end of the Roman Empire in the West, the end of Ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Middle Ages in Western Europe.As Romulus was an alleged usurper, Julius Nepos claimed to hold legally the title of the emperor when Odoacer took power. However, few of Nepos' contemporaries were willing to support his cause after he fled to Dalmatia.Some historians regard Julius Nepos, who ruled in Dalmatia until being murdered in 480.

2nd. Rome falls to invaders

500

The Huns made their first appearance in what is now Eastern Europe around the year 370. In 376, the Visigoths crossed the Danube River and swarmed southward. Two years later, the Visigoths defeated the Romans at the battle of Adrianople, further weakening the Empire. In 455 they sacked Rome.The Western Roman Empire was dead. However, a vestige of Rome lived on. Its Eastern portion, with its capital at Constantinople, lasted for another 1000 years until the city was sacked by the Muslims in 1453.