Rome · 753 BCE–1453 CE
Roman Empire timeline: 22 key dates
Roman history runs in three acts: a kingdom (traditionally 753–509 BCE), a Republic that conquered the Mediterranean and ended in civil war, and an empire from Augustus in 27 BCE. The western empire ended in 476 CE; the eastern empire, ruled from Constantinople, lasted until 1453. Dates before about 300 BCE are traditional and partly legendary.
753 BCE (traditional)
Rome is founded, in legend
Romulus founds the city and becomes its first king, according to the story later Romans told.
Rome509 BCE (traditional)
The Republic begins
The last king, Tarquin the Proud, is expelled; two consuls elected each year replace him.
Rome312 BCE
The Via Appia is begun
Work starts on the first great Roman road, the start of a network that will pass 120,000 km.
Italy264–146 BCE
The Punic Wars
Three wars against Carthage end with the city's destruction and Roman control of the western Mediterranean.
Mediterranean49 BCE
Caesar crosses the Rubicon
Julius Caesar leads his army into Italy against the Senate's orders, starting a civil war.
Northern Italy15 March 44 BCE
Caesar is assassinated
Senators stab the dictator 23 times at a meeting in the Theatre of Pompey complex.
Rome2 September 31 BCE
The Battle of Actium
Octavian defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra at sea, leaving him without a rival.
Western GreeceJanuary 27 BCE
Octavian becomes Augustus
The Senate gives him the title Augustus; the imperial era begins.
Rome64 CE
The Great Fire of Rome
Fire destroys much of the city while Nero is away at Antium.
Rome79 CE
Vesuvius buries Pompeii
Pompeii and Herculaneum disappear under volcanic ash.
Campania80 CE
The Colosseum opens
Titus inaugurates the amphitheatre with 100 days of games.
Rome117 CE
The empire at its peak
When Trajan dies, Roman rule stretches from Scotland to the Caspian Sea.
Empire-widec. 122 CE
Hadrian's Wall is begun
Work starts on a 73-mile frontier wall across northern Britain.
Britain212 CE
Citizenship for all free people
Caracalla's edict makes every free inhabitant of the empire a Roman citizen.
Empire-wide293 CE
Four emperors at once
Diocletian shares power in the Tetrarchy, two senior and two junior emperors.
Empire-wide313 CE
The Edict of Milan
Constantine and Licinius grant toleration to all religions, Christianity included.
Milan330 CE
Constantinople is dedicated
Constantine consecrates his new capital on the site of Byzantium.
Bosporus378 CE
Disaster at Adrianople
The Goths destroy a Roman army and kill the emperor Valens.
Thrace395 CE
The empire is divided for good
After Theodosius I dies, his sons rule the East and the West separately.
Empire-wide410 CE
The Visigoths sack Rome
Alaric's Visigoths plunder the city of Rome.
Rome4 September 476 CE
The last western emperor falls
Odoacer deposes Romulus Augustulus; the western empire ends.
Ravenna29 May 1453
Constantinople falls
Sultan Mehmed II takes the city, ending the eastern Roman Empire.
ConstantinopleWant the stories behind the dates? Read 16 Roman Empire facts and 3 myths, or why the Roman Empire fell.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Roman Empire start?
In January 27 BCE, when the Senate gave Octavian the title Augustus. Rome had been a Republic since, traditionally, 509 BCE, and a kingdom before that.
When did the Roman Empire fall?
The western empire ended on 4 September 476 CE, when Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus. The eastern empire lasted until the Ottomans took Constantinople on 29 May 1453.
How long did the Roman Empire last?
About 500 years in the West, from 27 BCE to 476 CE, and nearly 1,500 years counting the eastern empire that fell in 1453.
Sources & further reading
Every fact and date on this page was checked against the sources below on October 13, 2026. Each link was opened and is live:
- World History Encyclopedia — Roman Republic
- Livius — Lucius Junius Brutus and the end of the monarchy
- World History Encyclopedia — Roman roads
- World History Encyclopedia — Julius Caesar
- World History Encyclopedia — Augustus
- Tacitus (LacusCurtius translation) — Annals, book 15
- World History Encyclopedia — Pompeii
- World History Encyclopedia — Colosseum
- World History Encyclopedia — Trajan
- World History Encyclopedia — Hadrian's Wall
- Cassius Dio (LacusCurtius translation) — Roman History, book 78
- World History Encyclopedia — Diocletian
- World History Encyclopedia — Constantine I
- World History Encyclopedia — Constantinople
- World History Encyclopedia — Western Roman Empire
- World History Encyclopedia — Roman Empire
- World History Encyclopedia — Byzantine Empire
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