ROME
A Fourth Kingdom — The Terrible Beast
Ancestor twins of a fleeing Trojan prince who ultimately fought and conquered the Etruscans, Romulus and Remus then duelled for the rights to the city’s name. In the end, as is oft the case, siblicide won out ca. 753 BCE.
The dynasty runs through seven kingships before a populous uprising leads to the formation of a representative ruling Senate — in contrast to the hitherto advisory body to the king — and a Republic (res publica: “matters of the state”) is born. The Senate appoints a consul who rule for a year at a time. Societal structure is four-fold — owned slaves, free but relatively powerless plebeians, wealthy equestrians (knights), and the all-powerful patricians (nobles). In this manner the Roman Republic spans 500 years (510–23 BCE).
The greatest challenge to Roman authority in this time lies across the Mediterranean, with the established Carthaginian stronghold and their general Hannibal the Great, who crosses the Sea and northerly Alps to invade the Italian peninsula unexpectedly by land, from the North, with a contingent of war-elephants. But by 146 BCE Carthage is completely destroyed -- Rome, equally ironically, attacking her by sea.
On his own volition, the politician and general, Julius Caesar, conquers the vast territory of the Gaul's to the north in 49 BCE literally crossing the Rubicon (River) and famously conquering Rome to gain authoritarian rule. He campaigns south as far as Egypt and marries Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemies. He dies a political assassination in the Roman senate but his exploits preserved for posterity through the month of July and the writing of Shakespeare. As the Roman empire, it is then ruled by a series of emperors, its fate is tied-in with both external and internal warring.
Augustus added many territories to the empire during a golden age of otherwise peace and prosperity, Claudius conquered Britain, Titus destroyed Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (ca. 70 AD), Trajan extended the empire to its zenith, Hadrian walled off an increasingly too-large-to-defend empire in northern Britain from barbarians. Diocletian split the empire into east and west before it was reunited under Constantine, under the capital of Byzantium (present-day Constantinople) after his famous epiphany before the Battle of Milvian Bridge and the Council of Nicaea.
Roman Empire Timeline
Legend
Beginning as a small eighth century BCE Italian town on the Tiber, Rome comes to dominate the Mediterranean, continental Europe and Britain. Yet, the Eternal City's — that sits on seven hills — days may be numbered.
Republic
The greatest challenge to Roman authority in this time lies across the Mediterranean, with the established Carthaginian stronghold and their general Hannibal the Great, who crosses the Sea and northerly Alps to invade the Italian peninsula unexpectedly by land, from the North, with a contingent of war-elephants. But by 146 BCE Carthage is completely destroyed -- Rome, equally ironically, attacking her by sea.
Empire
Barbarian Hordes
Increasing hordes of barbarians breach the empire to the north (Odoacer conquers Rome in 476 AD), while the eastern half of the empire survives another millennium. Justinian is her last great emperor whose posterity includes the Justinian (law) Code and the Santa Sophia church. The final Emperor, Constantine XI, dies at the hands of the Ottomans, who take the city and with it the empire, introducing the world to their caliphate.
Timeline:
Roman Empire Timeline
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