At its most powerful, between 27 B. C. E. and 180 C. E., Rome enforced the , a reign of stability and relative tranquility throughout the whole empire.

About 509 B. C. E., the wealthy, powerful, veteran citizens of Rome expelled the kings and declared a republic.

Administrative officials with a variety of different responsibilities administered the Roman government. At the highest level the held responsibilities and power that extended over all the lands.

The large rural estates that emerged when wealthy Roman landowners bought up large numbers of family farms and ran them as plantations were known as .

In a moment of great crisis in the later Republic, Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus attempted to rule Rome jointly as a . The effort failed when Julius Caesar triumphed over his partners.

One of the great slave revolts of Rome occurred in 73-71 B. C. E. Led by , it was crushed and 6000 slaves were crucified on the roads leading to Rome.

Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire as the result of a decree of (person) in 324 C. E.

, the Visigoth invaded Italy in 401 C. E., and in response to the Roman Emperor Honorius moved the capital to Ravenna, a more defensible city.

In addition to trying to recapture Roman territory lost to the barbarians, the Byzantine emperor developed a noteworthy legal code that bears his name.

The capital city of the Byzantine Empire (the eastern Roman empire) was named for its founder, a famous Roman leader.