Roman Empire

Long ago, Rome was a great city that ruled over many lands. It controlled the area around the Mediterranean Sea. It also ruled parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. At first, Rome was run by many leaders together. Then one man named Octavian took control of everything. This happened in the year 27 before the year we call year one. Rome stayed powerful for a very long time after that.

By the year 100 before year one, Rome had grown huge. It ruled from Italy all the way around the Mediterranean Sea. But Rome had big problems. Different leaders fought each other for power. Finally, Octavian won all the fights. He defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in a big battle. Then Octavian became the first emperor, and people called him Augustus. He divided all the Roman lands into different regions. Each region had a leader who answered to him.

For about two hundred years, Rome was peaceful and rich. This time was called the Roman Peace. Rome grew even bigger under a leader named Trajan. But then bad things started to happen. Wars broke out inside the empire. Sickness spread everywhere. Enemies attacked from outside. For fifty years, Rome was in big trouble. Finally, a strong leader named Diocletian fixed things. He split the empire into two parts. One part was in the east, one part was in the west. Later, a leader named Constantine moved the capital city from Rome to a new city called Constantinople. He was the first Christian emperor.

Enemies from the north kept attacking Rome. They were very strong and hard to stop. The western part of Rome finally fell apart in the year 476. But the eastern part, called the Byzantine Empire, stayed strong. It lasted for another thousand years until the year 1453. Rome's ideas lived on forever after that. The languages people speak today came from the Latin language Rome used. The Christian religion spread because Rome believed in it. Artists and builders copied Roman art and buildings. The laws we have today come from Roman laws. The way countries are run today was shaped by Rome's ideas.