The Roman Empire began in the city of Rome, in the region of Latium in central Italy, on the Italian Peninsula along the River Tiber. In political terms, the “Roman Empire” as an imperial system is usually dated from 27 BC, when Octavian (Augustus) became the first Roman emperor and transformed the earlier Roman Republic into an empire ruled from Rome.

From Village To City

Ancient Rome started as a small Italic settlement beside the River Tiber, traditionally dated to 753 BC, which gradually grew into the city-state of Rome. This early community developed on and around the Palatine Hill and nearby hills, in the heart of what would later be called Latium.

Birth Of The Empire Proper

For centuries Rome was a kingdom and then a republic before it became an empire. The conventional starting point of the Roman Empire as such is 27 BC, when the Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus and overarching military authority, marking the beginning of imperial rule centered in Rome.

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