The Roman Empire
One state around the whole Mediterranean for 500 years
See it on the timeline →In depth
Augustus turned the republic into an empire in 27 BCE. At its height it held around 60 million people. Its most durable contributions are not military: Roman law underlies most European legal systems, Latin became French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian, and its concrete technology was not surpassed until the 19th century. The Pax Romana gave a freedom of trade and movement Europe did not recover until modern times. The empire was also built on slavery on a scale few societies have matched.
For children
Rome ruled every land around the Mediterranean, from Scotland to the Sahara. They built roads, aqueducts and cities still in use today. For two centuries it was so safe to travel within the empire that you could go from England to Egypt without papers.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org