c. 753 BCE to 476 CE
The history of ancient Rome, from the traditional date of its founding by Romulus (753 BCE) and the period of the seven kings (753-509 BCE), to the Roman Republic (509-27 BCE) and the Roman Empire (27 BCE – 476 CE).
Key dates in the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire include the appointment of Julius Caesar as dictator in 44 BCE, the defeat of Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, and the first settlement in 27 BCE that granted powers to Octavian (Augustus). The end of the Roman Empire in the West is dated to its collapse in 476 CE to the Germanic warlord Odoacer.1
1 The Roman Empire continued in the East until 1453 CE, the date of the collapse of the Byzantine Empire (395-1453) to the Ottoman Turks.
Sections
Period of the Kings
Period of Roman history leading up to the birth of the Republic
Roman Republic
The Early, Mid-, and Late periods of the Roman Republic
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