Roman Empire Quiz

The Roman Empire: Ancient History's Greatest Power

The Roman Empire was one of the largest and most influential political entities in human history. At its greatest extent under Emperor Trajan around 117 CE, the empire encompassed approximately 5 million square kilometers, stretching from Britain in the northwest to Mesopotamia in the east, and from the Rhine and Danube rivers in the north to the Sahara Desert in the south. The empire was governed by a complex administrative system, connected by an extensive road network, and protected by the legendary Roman legions.

Roman engineering achievements were extraordinary for their era: aqueducts that carried fresh water across hundreds of miles; the Pantheon (constructed around 125 CE) with its unreinforced concrete dome that remained the world's largest until the 15th century; the Colosseum (completed 80 CE) which held 50,000 - 80,000 spectators; and thousands of miles of durable roads ("All roads lead to Rome"). Roman law - Codified under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century CE as the Corpus Juris Civilis - Forms the basis of civil law systems throughout Europe and Latin America. Try the Ancient History Quiz or explore the Ancient Greece Quiz for another great civilization.

The Roman Empire went through periods of crisis and revival. The Crisis of the Third Century (235 - 284 CE) saw the empire nearly collapse from invasions, economic trouble, and political instability. Emperor Diocletian's reforms and then Constantine's legalization of Christianity (313 CE) stabilized the empire temporarily. The official split into Eastern and Western Empires came in 395 CE. While the Western Empire fell in 476 CE, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) survived for another thousand years until 1453 CE.