The Rise & Fall Of The Roman Empire: Every Year
The Roman Empire left a mark that still echoes through Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. At its height under Trajan around 117 CE, it covered roughly 5 million km²—that’s nearly 2 million mi², stretching across three continents.
But behind that massive empire was a long climb. From its humble city-state beginnings, Rome became a republic and pushed outward in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, notably during wars against Carthage and the Greek Achaean League. The decisive moment came in 146 BCE, when Rome defeated the Achaeans at Corinth and formally annexed Greece.
Next, we shift focus from how much territory Rome controlled to how long it held it. The map below was created by Reddit user Alexandreevich, which shows territories of the Roman Empire by the approximate number of years in the empire.
By the 4th century, Emperor Diocletian split the empire administratively into Western and Eastern halves. The West collapsed in 476 CE, but the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium, persisted until 1453 CE, when Constantinople fell to the Ottomans.
That span—from 27 BCE (when Augustus became emperor) to 1453 CE—means Rome, in imperial form, endured about 1,480 years.
But not all regions had the same experience. Some slipped from Rome quickly; others stayed on much longer.
One region in particular outpaced all others: Greece.
- In 146 BCE, Greece became part of the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaea after the Achaean War.
- By 476 CE, the Western Empire had fallen—Greece was entirely under Eastern (Byzantine) control.
- Finally, in 1453 CE, the Byzantine Empire ended with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.
That’s almost 1,600 years under Roman or Byzantine governance—far longer than most regions ever remained under one unified state.
As a broader perspective, if we trace Rome’s story from the Republic’s founding in 509 BCE to the fall of Byzantium in 1453 CE, that’s over 1,900 years—nearly two millennia of Roman political evolution.
📚 For readers who want more:
- The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Amazon link)
- The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians (Amazon link)
Related posts:
– Birthplaces of Roman Emperors from Augustus to Theodosius I
– Roads of the Roman Empire
Your moving map is a wonderful visual to show the constantly shifting influence of the Roman Empire. However, was not the Holy Roman Empire in its Frankish and then Germanic forms a continuation of this empire in concept? After all, the seat of the empire changed five times before its complete collapse in the East in 1453. In the West, it ceased in 476 AD but then, in its Antonine form, had already existed in Europe, with a pause for a hundred years or so, under first the Carolingian Empire and then in Germany under Otto I, and spreading nearly to the entire Western European continent. After the cessation of that empire in 1806, we already have the great English Empire and the smaller empires set up by nine other European nations, all configured after Roman ideals with the Latin language in courts, medicine, and other sciences. So, did the old Roman empire really die so soon? It has morphed and shifted into different forms with different capitols. Is not the EU a rather ingenious and adroitly devious revival of the Old Roman Empire? Some would see the shadow of the Roman Empire over the Americas as well. We call it, “western civilization.” Is it not merely a morphed, continuing Roman Empire, broken up with competing but mostly cooperating capitols? Is not the New World Order global push a rising again of the idea of one emperor and his governing sub-regions or a confederate of ten leaders a revival of this same ideal?
Yes, you’re right. Often, we need to define what we mean by the Roman Empire. When people talk about its fall, they usually mean its division into Eastern and Western parts. Another popular interpretation is its demise with the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. Here’s an interesting video discussing what should be considered the end of the empire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMIfqoafOt4
Yes, many countries subsequently considered themselves to be, to some extent, heirs to the Roman Empire—including the Holy Roman Empire under figures like Otto I, Hitler’s Germany, or even Russia, with their idea that “Moscow is the third Rome, and there will be no fourth.” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-AAQmQ7yZQ
I also agree with you about America, which is currently some sort of “Roman Empire” but on a global level, promoting its values, culture, and standards throughout the world.