Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Legacy of an Empire
Rising out of the bloodstained remnants of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire was
the Western world's first great superpower. At its zenith under the emperor Trajan (r AD
98−117), it extended from Britannia in the north to North Africa in the south, from Hispan-
ia (Spain) in the west to Palestina (Palestine) and Syria in the east. Rome itself had more
than 1.5 million inhabitants and the city sparkled with the trappings of imperial splendour:
marble temples, public baths, theatres, circuses and libraries. Decline eventually set in dur-
ing the 3rd century; by the latter half of the 5th century, Rome was in barbarian hands.
Virgil (70 BC−19 BC), real name Publius Vergilius Maro, was born near the northern Italian town of Man-
tua to a wealthy family. He studied in Cremona, Milan, Rome and Naples, before becoming Rome's best-
known classical poet. His most famous works are the
Eclogues
,
Georgics
and the
Aeneid
.
Europe Divided
The empire's most immediate legacy was the division of Europe into east and west. In AD
285 the emperor Diocletian, prompted by widespread disquiet across the empire, split the
Roman Empire into eastern and western halves - the west centred on Rome, and the east on
Byzantium (later called Constantinople) - in a move that was to have far-reaching conse-
quences. In the west, the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476 paved the way for
the emergence of the Holy Roman Empire and the Papal States, while in the east, Roman
(later Byzantine) rule continued until 1453 when the empire was finally conquered by ram-
paging Ottoman armies.
