According to the map above, Greece tops the list. About 1,550 years under Roman rule. The Romans conquered Greece in 146 BC when they destroyed Corinth. Augustus wouldn’t become emperor for another 173 years. After the 395 split, Greece ended up in the eastern empire. The people living there never stopped identifying as Roman. Rhomaioi is what they called themselves in Greek. To them, their empire was simply Rome with a new capital in Constantinople. When you count the Eastern Roman Empire as Rome, Greece was Roman from 146 BC through 1453 AD.

Places like Italy, North Africa, and Asia Minor stayed Roman for 500 to 1,000 years. Latin changed over those centuries. In some regions it evolved into French, in others into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian. Roman law sank deep roots. Building methods spread and stuck around.

North England got maybe 50 years of Roman rule. Germania had similar short stints. Same along the Danube frontier. Legions arrived, threw up roads and military camps, then pulled back when costs got crazy or locals fought too hard. Dig around those places and you’ll find Roman stuff, but the cultural footprint stayed pretty thin.

Rome left marks that lasted way past the empire itself. Eastern Roman legal codes influenced law in Europe, Russia, and Latin America. After Constantinople fell, scholars took their manuscripts and ran west. What they brought helped spark the Renaissance in Italy. Roman engineering shows up in buildings we construct today. Romance languages descended from Latin get spoken by close to a billion people.

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At a glance, you can see what Mussolini was trying to do. He wanted Italy to echo the glory of ancient Rome—not just in name, but in territory. The areas that overlap are mostly in the central Mediterranean, with Libya being one of the most symbolic links.

The Roman Empire was far bigger in almost every way—territory, influence, and population. Here’s how they stack up:

Even during Mussolini’s most aggressive expansion period, Italy’s empire remained a regional power compared to Rome’s position at the heart of the ancient world.

Where Did They Rule?

Looking at today’s map, here’s how the two empires broke down by modern countries:

Roman Empire only:

• England
• France
• Spain
• Portugal
• Western Germany
• Austria
• Hungary
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Serbia
• Turkey
• Syria
• Iraq
• Israel
• Jordan
• Armenia
• Azerbijan
• Georgia

Italian Empire only:

• Ethiopia
• Eritrea
• Somalia
• Dodecanese Islands (now part of Greece)
• A concession in Tianjin, China (not shown on the map)

Territories ruled by both:

• Italy
• Greece
• Libya
• Tunisia
• Malta
• Coastal Egypt
• Albania
• Parts of the Balkans

In places like Libya, Mussolini’s government didn’t just claim the land—they tried to visually tie it back to Roman times. Cities were renamed, monuments went up, and new roads were laid out following Roman-style planning. The idea was to frame Italian colonialism as a return, not a conquest.

What’s Still Visible Today?

The Roman Empire left a lot behind, more than most civilizations of its time. You don’t need to visit a museum to see it; it’s built into the layout of cities across Europe and parts of the Middle East. Roads, bridges, and even some buildings are still standing. And the Roman influence runs deeper than just stone. Laws based on Roman principles shaped legal systems across Europe. Latin gave birth to languages still spoken by hundreds of millions of people today, like Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Romanian.

The Italian Empire, though far more recent, left less behind, especially in terms of cultural influence. But there are still reminders. In Eritrea, the capital city of Asmara has entire neighborhoods built during the Italian occupation in the 1930s. The wide streets, modernist buildings, and even Italian-style cafes give the city a very different feel from the rest of East Africa. Elsewhere, like Libya and Ethiopia, what remains is less about architecture and more about memory. For many people in those countries, Italy’s legacy is remembered through the lens of occupation, resistance, and loss—not shared heritage.

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Under the second-century emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, 2 walls were constructed to protect the Roman province from the Caledonians, whose areas in the Scottish Highlands were never occupied. Around 197 AD Britain was divided into 2 regions: Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior afterward; at the end of the 3rd century, Britannia was split into 4 provinces. A 5th province, Valentia, is attested in the later 4th century.

Map of Roman Britain (369 A.D.)

In approximately 4 centuries of occupation, the Romans built about 3,220 kilometers (2,000 mi) of Roman roads in Britain. The map below created by Sasha Trubetskoy shows the main Roman roads in Britain in underground style.

Roman roads of Britain

Londinium was the main crossroads and the capital of Roman Britain throughout most of the period of Roman rule.

The Roman city of Londinium around AD 200

Although most of the population of Roman Britain proceeded to live in small rural farmsteads, many larger nucleated settlements developed after the conquest, often sited along with the expanding road network.

According to Martyn Allen and his colleagues, about 3600 Roman settlements existed in England.

Roman settlements in England

The sites of Roman coins evidence the impressive scale of Roman colonization in Britain.

Where have Roman coins been found in Britain?

The last Roman departure from Britain happened around 410. Following the conquering of the Britons, a unique Romano-British culture emerged as the Romans preceded enhanced agriculture, urban planning, industrial composition, and architecture.

To learn more about Roman Britain, have a look at the following books and map posters:

• Roman Britain: A New History
• Roman Britain and Where to Find It
• A History of Ancient Britain
• Map of Ancient Roman Empire

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The map below created by Reddit user MattSouth shows “Hidden Rome III” – The degree of Roman influence on contemporary countries.

One main legacy is the Latin language evolved concurrently into the various Romance languages now (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, etc.). The Latin Language has created the basis for most of the Western languages, even English.

The Latin alphabet script by the ancient Romans to most of Europe is the most popular and generally used globally.

The modern Western calendar is a refinement of the Julian calendar, which Julius Caesar introduced.

Another most significant area of influence was Roman law. Roman law developed the division between public and private law. This system was the base for what is nowadays known in the West as Civil law. Roman law additionally affected the development of International Private Law. Romans had indictments and jury trials, similar to today’s practices. The idea of written law to protect people from one another and the state’s power is an immanently Roman idea.

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20. Six ways to divide the Roman Empire

19. What is the largest country in the world based on the most suitable land area for human habitation?

18. Tearing United States apart

17. The Richest Person in Every US State (2017)

16. Percent of population who describes their U.S. state as the “Worst possible state to live in”

15. The Most and Least Dangerous Counties in the U.S.

14. Tearing United Kingdom apart

13. Find cities with a similar climate

12. Every United Kingdom county’s top rated tourist attraction

11. Nobody lives here

10. Twelve ways to divide China

9. The most sexually diseased states in the United States

8. Nine Ways to Divide Turkey

7. The Biggest Employer in Each US State

6. TrumpLand and Clinton Archipelago

5. Twelve ways to divide Japan

4. Ranking of the worse and the safest states to live in the U.S.

3. Europe according to the Dutch

2. Faithland

1. Salary you need to afford the average home in your state (2018)

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United Kingdom: A Long-Running Series With Many Spin-Offs

• The original hit (519 – 10th century): The Kingdom of Wessex, a solid medieval drama with loyal fans.
• The highly rated sequel (927 – 1300): The Kingdom of England, refining the formula and adding new storylines.
• The weird third movie they later retconned (1310-1649): England, Scotland, and Ireland thrown together in a messy crossover that nobody really wanted.
• The ambitious reboot (1649-1660): The Commonwealth of England—a bold but short-lived experiment.
• The controversial expanded universe (1661 – 1920): The British Empire, which dominated world screens but left behind mixed reviews.
• The modern era with a surprising spinoff (1920-1974): The United Kingdom featuring Ireland’s departure.
• The unexpected fanfiction that became real (1776): The independence of the United States.
• The shared cinematic universe (1973): The UK joins the European Union, but the later seasons saw major cast changes.

Germany: A Franchise With a Rocky History

• The classic original (1600 – 1795): A historical epic about the fragmented Holy Roman Empire.
• The well-received sequel (1871 – 1918): The German Empire, a more unified and powerful installment.
• The grimdark third film (1919 – 1939): The interwar period—gritty, full of economic struggle, and foreshadowing disaster.
• The catastrophic fourth film (1940 – 1945): The Nazis hijack the franchise and ruin it for everyone.
• The two competing TV spin-offs (1949 – 1989): West Germany and East Germany—one a political thriller, the other a grim dystopian drama.
• The planned reboot (1951 to the present): The Federal Republic of Germany, now back on track.

Poland: A Cult Classic With Wild Twists

• The critically acclaimed first season (960 – 992): Poland’s origins, featuring ambitious rulers and dynastic drama.
• The second season with a changed formula (1333 – 1370): A new dynasty, political intrigue, and expansion.
• The legendary third season with a surprise guest star (1371 – 1635): The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth—a grand period of alliances and conflicts.
• Series canceled, assets sold to rival studios (1772 – 1773): Poland is partitioned and disappears from the map.
• The failed fan-made reboot (1807 – 1809): The Duchy of Warsaw, Napoleon’s spinoff that didn’t last long.
• Back by popular demand, explosive season finale (1922 – 1938): Poland returns, but things get intense quickly.
• The ongoing season with mixed reviews (1945 to the present): A return to independence with political changes and shifting storylines.

Persia/Iran: A Show That Keeps Getting Rebooted

Pilot Episode: The Median Empire—an early civilization laying the foundation.

• First Season: The Achaemenid Dynasty—massive, ambitious, and well-received.
• Meh Season: The Parthian Empire—some solid moments but not as exciting.
• Acclaimed Sequel: The Sasanian Empire—an era of great cultural and military achievements.
• Canceled by New Execs: The Umayyad Caliphate takes over.
• Indie Mini-Series: Samanid, Bavand, and other smaller dynasties.
• Foreign Reboot: The Seljuk Empire—bringing in a new cast and ideas.
• Disney Buys It: The Mongol Empire/Ilkhanate—big budget, but devastating effects.
• Michael Bay Reboot: The Safavids—epic battles, lots of explosions.
• TV-MA Canceled Content: The Afsharid Dynasty—brutal and short-lived.
• Ruined Original: The Qajar Dynasty—struggles with modernization.
• Spin-off: Modern Iran—continuing the story into new directions.

The Roman Empire: A Franchise With Too Many Sequels (and Spinoffs)

• The original blockbuster (27 BCE – 476 CE): The Roman Empire—expansive, influential, and full of legendary rulers.
• The direct sequel (476 – 1453): The Byzantine Empire—maintaining some elements but taking the story in a different direction.
• The sequel that nobody wanted (800 – 1806): The Holy Roman Empire—carrying the name but missing the essence.
• The one that ruined the original (1204 – 1261): The Latin Empire—a Western intervention that disrupted everything.
• The bad spinoff (1299 – 1922): The Ottoman Empire—taking inspiration but creating its own distinct story.
• The weird fanfiction (1721 – 1917): The Russian Empire—self-declared as the “Third Rome.”
• The short-lived prequel (550 BCE – 330 BCE): The Achaemenid Empire—an earlier version of empire-building in the region.
• Unrelated but shares the same canon (1501 – 1736): The New Persian Empire—echoing Rome’s ambition but with a new cast.

The post If Countries Were TV Shows: A History Reimagined appeared first on Vivid Maps.

At its peak, the Roman Empire had a population of approximately 60–70 million and a population density of nearly sixteen people per square kilometer (~ 41 people per sq mi). Opposite to the European nations of the classical and medieval times, the Roman Empire had extraordinarily high urbanization rates. Throughout the second century common era, the city of Rome had more than 1 million residents. No Western European city would have as many again until the nineteenth century.

The expansion of the Roman Empire to AD 117

Reddit user ImUsingDaForce made an incredibly detailed map of every Roman settlement that ever existed, with borders from 117AD.

He used 3 categories that the primary source grouped settlements into:

1. The precise location of a settlement – a physical place for which we are sure what the name was, or we have related the archaeological remains with a historic town we know about from the sources.
2. Likely location of a city – we have a site that we are reasonably sure what the settlement’s name was, but it is not definite.
3. Probable place of a town from historical sources for which we are not sure of where it was located precisely, but we have a conceivable archaeological site in the area that is a probable match.

The map below has 11 655 towns as a result.

Each Roman settlement (that ever existed, with boundaries from 117AD)

The map below shows every roman settlement that was ever founded or administered by the Romans and nothing else.

The population of the biggest cities in the Roman empire (1st century CE)
Rome 350,000
Alexandria 216,000
Antioch 90,000
Smyrna 90,000
Cadiz 65,000
Ephesus 51,000
Carthage 50,000
Corinth 50,000
Apamea 37,000
Capua 36,000
Ancyra 34,000
Nicomedia 34,000
Oxyrhyncus 34,000
Memphis 34,000
Damascus 31,000
Bostra 30,000
Athens 28,000
Tarragona 27,000
Cyzicus 24,000
Hermopolis 24,000
Pergamum 24,000
Mytilene 23,000
Arsinoe 20,000
Cordoba 20,000
Cirta 20,000
Hadrumetum 20,000
Pisa 20,000
Rusicade 20,000
Tyre 20,000
Catania 18,000
Nicaea 18,000
Antiochia 17,000
Antinoe 16,000
Sicca V, 16,000
Mérida 15,000
Miletus 15,000
Naples 15,000
Heliopolis 14,000
Baalbek 13,500
Thugga 13,000
Isaura 12,000
Sidon 12,000
Bologna 10,000
Cartagena 10,000
Hippo Regis 10,000
Jerusalem 10,000
Lambraesis 10,000
Pamplona 10,000
Thysdrus 10,000
Trebizond 10,000

Related post:
– Location of every Ancient Greek city outside of Greece and Cyprus, that still is inhabited today

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The World According to Rome (125 AD)

The first map, created by Abel A. Kay for The Tale of Rome, paints a tongue-in-cheek view of the Roman Empire’s reach and its opinions about the rest of the known world.

• “Mean People Live Here” – A playful jab at the Germanic tribes to the north, reflecting the Romans’ contentious relationship with these groups.
• “Gold, man!” – A nod to Western Spain’s wealth, highlighting the region’s rich gold deposits that the Romans extensively mined.
• “Crazy religions” – A reference to the Middle East’s diverse religious landscape, possibly hinting at the rise of new religions, including early Christianity, which was emerging during this period.
• “More Pirates” – An acknowledgment of the piracy issues in the eastern Mediterranean, which posed challenges to Roman trade routes.
• “Spices, man!” – An allusion to the allure of exotic goods from the East, underscoring the importance of trade with these regions.

This map humorously showcases how Romans might have categorized the world into familiar territories and unknown lands filled with “others,” reflecting their ethnocentric worldview.

The Roman Empire’s View of the World – From the Atlas of Prejudice

The second map, crafted by Yanko Tsvetkov for his Atlas of Prejudice (Amazon link), takes a modern satirical approach by labeling parts of the Roman world with contemporary analogies:

• “Civilized Barbarians” – Western Europe receives a backhanded compliment, acknowledging their advancement yet maintaining a superior Roman attitude.
• “Gyms and Butt Sex” – A cheeky reference to ancient Greek culture, known for its athleticism and certain social practices.
• “New Jersey” and “The Bronx” – Italy itself is humorously compared to American urban centers, perhaps commenting on regional stereotypes within the empire.
• “Religious Fanatics” – Judea’s role in shaping religious history is noted, reflecting the region’s significance in the development of major world religions.
• “Deep South” – North Africa, vital for its grain supply, is likened to the American South, possibly highlighting its agricultural importance.

This map blends modern stereotypes with ancient history, offering a satirical take on how Romans might have viewed their empire and beyond.

These maps serve as a humorous reminder that simplistic and biased views are not unique to any one era—they’re something we all share. Certainly, the Romans had their own stereotypes too. The creators of these maps were playfully imagining what biases might have looked like in ancient times, and in doing so, they invite us to reflect on the stereotypes we hold today.

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This series of six maps by Reddit user CountZapolai doesn’t try to explain the Roman Empire with census records or battle dates. Instead, it uses modern stereotypes layered on ancient borders to satirize how people often reduce large regions to clichés, especially when viewed from afar.

The first map breaks down the empire based on who it was conquered from: Greeks, Italians, Carthaginians, and Barbarians. It’s a reminder that Rome’s reach was built through centuries of absorbing and defeating others, and that different parts of the empire had very different origins.

A second map sorts the regions by lifestyle density: areas labeled as “Crowded urban hell,” “Boring small towns,” or “Empty wasteland.”

Another map focuses on gender stereotypes, with labels like “Manly Men,” “Men who prefer horses,” and “Men who prefer boys.” It’s deliberately exaggerated, and not meant to reflect anything factual — just the kind of offhand assumptions people make when projecting ideas across cultures.

There’s also a language map separating those who “Speak proper Latin” from others speaking Greek, “something weird,” or flat-out gibberish.

Then comes a broader social judgment: regions are grouped by labels such as “Weird occultists,” “Effeminate snobs,” “Hot-headed fools,” and “Huge, terrifying, really angry drunks.” It’s a kind of satirical character map, shaped less by facts and more by exaggerated impressions.

And finally, a political breakdown: places where “The Senate pretends to be in charge” vs. where it “admits it’s not in charge.” This one especially plays with the reality that Roman authority was often more symbolic than practical, depending on how far you were from Rome.

This map set is not based on academic sources or real demographic data. It reflects the creator’s mix of humor, modern biases, and historical tropes, similar in spirit to Yanko Tsvetkov’s Atlas of Prejudice (Amazon Link), a popular book that reimagines world maps based on national and cultural stereotypes.

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The Latins established numerous settlements in Latium, and their most famous city was Alba Longa. According to legend, Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome, were said to be descendants of the Latin king Numitor. The establishment of Rome marked the emergence of a new political and cultural center that was deeply influenced by Latin traditions.

The Latins made important contributions to the development of Roman society, government, and culture. Many aspects of Roman law, customs, and religious practices were influenced by Latin traditions. The Roman Senate, for example, had its origins in the councils of Latin chiefs.

As Rome expanded its influence and territory, it absorbed neighboring Latin communities and established alliances with others. The process of Roman expansion eventually led to the assimilation of the Latins and other neighboring groups into the broader Roman identity. As a result, the distinction between the Latins and other Roman citizens became less pronounced over time.

The Latin language, a member of the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family, played a central role in the subsequent development of the Roman civilization. Latin evolved over time and eventually became the official language of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Latin became the language of literature, philosophy, science, and law in the Roman world, and its impact extended far beyond the collapse of the Roman Empire. It served as the basis for the Romance languages that developed from it, such as Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian.

If you want to learn more about Latins, have a look at the following books:

• Latin: Story of a World Language
• A Natural History of Latin

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