-
753 BCE
The city of Rome is founded
Legend said that the twin sons of Mars (Roman god of war), Romulus and Remus, had found Rome. Romulus had killed Remus, and became sole ruler of Rome, which he named after himself. Rome was ruled by kings for the following 240 years. -
509 BCE
Rome becomes a republic
The last king was overthrown and Rome was then ruled by elected officials known as senators. They formed a constitution with laws and complex republican government. -
218 BCE
Hannibal invades Italy
Hannibal had led the Carthage army in his famous crossing of the Alps to attack Rome. This had been a part of the Second Punic war. -
73 BCE
Spartacus leads an uprising
Spartacus, a Roman gladiator, led the slaves into an uprising. -
44 BCE
Julius Caesar became the first dictator of Rome
Caesar made his famous Crossing of the Rubicon and defeats Pompey in a civil war to become the supreme ruler of Rome. This signalled the end of the Roman republic. -
27 BCE
Caesar Augustus becomes the first Roman emperor
Caesar Augustus became the first Roman emperor, which signalled the beginning of the Roman Empire. -
64
The burning of Rome
Legend says that the Emperor Nero had watched the city burn whilst playing a lyre. -
80
The Colosseum is built
The Colosseum, one of the best examples of Roman engineering, was finished. It's said that it could seat 50,000 spectators. -
121
The Hadrian Wall is built
TO keep out the barbarians, a long wall (the Hadrian Wall) was built across northern England -
306
Constantine becomes Emperor
Constantine had converted Rome to Christianity, and Rome would have then become a Christian empire. Prior to this, Rome persecuted the Christians. -
308
Theodosius I declares Christianity the sole religion of Rome
Theodosius I declared Christianity to be the only and sole religion of the Roman Empire. -
395
Rome splits
Rome splits from one to two separate empires. -
410
The Visigoths sack Rome
The Visigoths sack Rome, and this was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome had fallen to an enemy. -
476
The end of the Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire fell, and so did Ancient Rome. The last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, was defeated by German Goth Odoacer. This signalled the beginning of the Dark Ages in Europe. -
1453
The fall of the Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire ends as it falls to the Ottoman Empire.