The Roman Empire: Map & History
The dominant Mediterranean superpower of antiquity, encompassing over 5 million square kilometers across Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Levant.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Roman Empire was a state that dominated the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa during the classical period. The Roman Republic had previously conquered most of these territories, which later came under permanent single-person rule following Octavian's rise to power and the establishment of the Augustan Principate in 27 BC. By the late 3rd century AD, the empire had been divided many times. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD, whereas the Eastern Roman Empire persisted until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Modern Countries Once Part of The Roman Empire
At its mapped extent, The Roman Empire covered territory in 47 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Switzerland31 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Netherlands31 BCE – 438 CE · nearly all
- Belgium31 BCE – 461 CE · nearly all
- Austria14 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Jordan30 BCE – 476 CE · nearly all
- Armenia60–126 CE · nearly all
- Bosnia and Herzegovina31 BCE – 454 CE · nearly all
- Cyprus30 BCE – 476 CE · nearly all
- Luxembourg31 BCE – 461 CE · nearly all
- North Macedonia30 BCE – 476 CE · nearly all
- Slovenia31 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Andorra25 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Liechtenstein14 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Montenegro31 BCE – 476 CE · nearly all
- Malta31 BCE – 476 CE · nearly all
- San Marino31 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Vatican (Holy See)31 BCE – 475 CE · nearly all
- Iraq117–286 CE · nearly all
- Bulgaria27 BCE – 476 CE · most
- France31 BCE – 475 CE · most
- Albania31 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Syria30 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Turkey30 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Egypt27 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Serbia27 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Portugal31 BCE – 468 CE · most
- Israel6–476 CE · most
- Lebanon30 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Romania51–476 CE · most
- United Kingdom43–409 CE · most
- Germany31 BCE – 475 CE · most
- Palestine6–476 CE · most
- Italy31 BCE – 475 CE · most
- Spain31 BCE – 475 CE · most
- Tunisia31 BCE – 442 CE · most
- Greece30 BCE – 476 CE · most
- Croatia31 BCE – 475 CE · most
- Hungary43–450 CE · a large part
- Algeria31 BCE – 442 CE · a large part
- Morocco43–438 CE · a large part
- Libya31 BCE – 476 CE · a large part
- Saudi Arabia25–20 BCE · a large part
- Azerbaijan60–126 CE · a small part
- Iran60–126 CE · a small part
- Yemen25–20 BCE · a small part
- Ukraine68–206 CE · a small part
- Russia68–476 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
- Bayern, Germany
- Andalucía, Spain
- Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Niedersachsen, Germany
- Rhône-Alpes, France
- Al Minya, Egypt
- Bretagne, France
- Calabria, Italy
- Castilla y León, Spain
- Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- Galicia, Spain
- Hessen, Germany
- Kentriki Makedonia, Greece
- Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- Makkah, Saudi Arabia
- Toscana, Italy
- Apulia, Italy
- Campania, Italy
- Matruh, Egypt
- Sicily, Italy
- Ajdabiya, Libya
- Anatoliki Makedonia kai Thraki, Greece
- Crimea, Russia
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside The Roman Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
The Roman Empire in Depth
History
Rome had begun expanding shortly after the founding of the Roman Republic in the 6th century BC, though not outside the Italian Peninsula until the 3rd century BC. The Republic was not a nation-state in the modern sense, but a network of self-ruled towns (with varying degrees of independence from the Senate) and provinces administered by military commanders. It was governed by annually elected magistrates (Roman consuls above all) in conjunction with the Senate The 1st century BC was a time of political and military upheaval, which ultimately led to rule by emperors. The consuls' military power rested in the Roman legal concept of imperium, meaning "command" (typically in a military sense).
Government and military
The three major elements of the Imperial state were the central government, the military, and the provincial government. The military established control of a territory through war, but after a city or people was brought under treaty, the mission turned to policing: protecting Roman citizens, agricultural fields, and religious sites. The Romans lacked sufficient manpower or resources to rule through force alone. Cooperation with local elites was necessary to maintain order, collect information, and extract revenue. The Romans often exploited internal political divisions.
Communities with demonstrated loyalty to Rome retained their own laws, could collect their own taxes locally, and in exceptional cases were exempt from Roman taxation.
Economy
The Empire is best thought of as a network of regional economies, based on a form of "political capitalism" in which the state regulated commerce to assure its own revenues. Economic growth, though not comparable to modern economies, was greater than that of most other societies prior to industrialization. Territorial conquests permitted a large-scale reorganization of land use that resulted in agricultural surplus and specialization, particularly in north Africa. Some cities were known for particular industries. The scale of urban building indicates a significant construction industry. Papyri preserve complex accounting methods that suggest elements of economic rationalism, and the Empire was highly monetized.
Legacy
Several states claimed to be the Roman Empire's successor. The Holy Roman Empire was established in 800 when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Roman emperor. The Russian Tsardom, as inheritor of the Byzantine Empire's Orthodox Christian tradition, counted itself the Third Rome (Constantinople having been the second), in accordance with the concept of translatio imperii.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Roman Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Roman Empire: Key Facts
| Capitals | Rome, Milan, Ravenna, Roma |
|---|---|
| Official language | Ancient Greek |
| Religions | ancient Roman religion, state church of the Roman Empire |
| Form of government | autocracy, monarchy |
| Currency | Roman currency |
| Dissolved | 17 January 395 CE |
Preceded by
- Roman Republic
- Hellenistic period
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q2277 (CC0).
Roman Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which The Roman Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Forged from the Roman Republic following the civil wars of Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus, the Roman Empire unified the Mediterranean basin into "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea). Its administrative genius lay in monumental civil infrastructure—over 80,000 kilometers of paved roads, monumental aqueducts, and legal codes codified in the Corpus Juris Civilis that remain foundational to modern Western jurisprudence.
Roman Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Octavian receives the title of Augustus, inaugurating the Roman imperial era.
Roman legions conquer Dacia and Mesopotamia, reaching peak extent of 5.0 million km².
Diocletian establishes the Tetrarchy, dividing administrative governance into East and West.
Constantine the Great consecrates Nova Roma on the Bosporus as the imperial seat.
Romulus Augustulus is deposed in Ravenna, marking the end of the Western Empire.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Codification of Roman civil law underpinning modern continental legal systems
- ✓Latin language evolution into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian
- ✓Architectural breakthroughs including the hydraulic concrete dome and monumental arches
- ✓Establishment of urban networks from London (Londinium) to Cologne and Alexandria
Roman Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Roman Empire exist?
The Roman Empire is dated to 27 BCE – 476 CE (Western) / 1453 CE (Eastern), in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of the Roman Empire?
The capital of the Roman Empire was Rome (later Ravenna, Constantinople).
How large was the Roman Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 117 AD the Roman Empire covered about 5,000,000 km².
How did the map of the Roman Empire change over time?
The Roman Empire appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1 CE to 300 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
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