The Rise and Expansion of the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire started in Rome with the transition from a republic to an empire under Emperor Augustus, expanding across North Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Gaul, Britain, and Hadrian's Wall. The heartlands were in Illyria, including modern-day Croatia, Dalmatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and up to Iraq under Emperor Trajan. By 300 AD, the empire had grown so large that it split into western and eastern empires. Constantine built a new city named New Rome (later known as Constantinople) in the east on the banks of the Bosphorus, known as the city of Constantine.