Roman Empire
Under Augustus and his successors, Rome became a monarchy ruling a vast empire that brought centuries of relative peace and prosperity before facing third-century crisis and transformation.
Definition
The period of Roman history under emperors, from Augustus's settlement of 27 BC through the Principate and later Dominate, conventionally extending into late antiquity.
Scope
This topic covers Rome from the establishment of the Principate by Augustus in 27 BC through the high empire and the Pax Romana, the dynasties and administration of the imperial centuries, the third-century crisis, and the reorganization under Diocletian and Constantine, drawing on literary, legal, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence.
Core questions
- How did Augustus create a durable monarchy while preserving Republican forms?
- How was such a vast and diverse empire administered and defended?
- What was the relationship between emperor, elite, army, and provinces?
- What caused the third-century crisis and how was the empire reorganized afterward?
Key theories
- Petitioner emperor
- Fergus Millar's argument that the Roman emperor governed largely by responding to requests and disputes brought to him, rather than through proactive policy, shaping a reactive style of rule.
- Augustan settlement and the Principate
- The interpretation of Augustus's regime as a veiled monarchy that preserved the appearance of the restored Republic while concentrating real power in the princeps.
History
The empire is documented by historians such as Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio, by imperial law and inscriptions, and by the extensive archaeology of cities, frontiers, and material culture. Scholarship has shifted from a narrative of emperors toward the study of administration, provincial life, the army, and the social and economic integration of the Mediterranean world.
Debates
- Severity and causes of the third-century crisis
- Historians debate how deep the political, military, and economic disruptions of the third century actually were across the empire, and how much they represent crisis versus transformation into late antiquity.
Key figures
- Fergus Millar
- Colin Wells
- David Potter
- Mary T. Boatwright
Related topics
Seminal works
- millar1977
- wells1992
- potter2004
Frequently asked questions
- Who was the first Roman emperor?
- Augustus (Octavian) is conventionally regarded as the first Roman emperor, establishing the Principate after 27 BC while maintaining many Republican appearances.
- What was the Pax Romana?
- The Pax Romana was a long period of relative internal peace and stability across the empire, roughly from Augustus to the late second century AD, that fostered trade and urban growth.