753 BC Rome is founded
Rome was founded by Romulus. Romulus was the first of the seven Roman kings. The original name of Rome was Roma.
509 BC Rome becomes a Republic
The last king is expelled and Rome is now ruled by senators. There is a constitution with laws and Rome becomes a complex republican government.
218 BC Hannibal invades Italy
Hannibal leads the Carthage army to attack Italy. This becomes part of the Second Punic War.
45 BC Julius Caesar becomes the first dictator of Rome
Julius Caesar defeats Pompey in a civil war. He becomes the supreme ruler of Rome. This is the end of the Roman Republic. He hires Sosigenes, an Egyptian astronomer, to work out a new 12 month calendar.
44 BC Julius Caesar is assassinated
Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by Marcus Brutus. They hope to bring back the republic, but civil war breaks out instead.
27 BC Roman Empire begins
Octavius appoints himself "Augustus", which means the first emperor.
64 Much of Rome burns
Nero set fire to Rome and blames the Christians for it.
80 Colosseum is built
The Colosseum was built in 80 AD. The completion of the Colosseum was celebrated with 100 days of games. The Romans invade Scotland.
122 Hadrian Wall is built
The Hadrian Wall was built in 122 AD. It was a long wall built across northern England in an effort to keep the barbarians out.
306 Constantine becomes Emperor in 306 AD
Rome becomes a Christian empire. Before this, Rome persecuted the Christians. Constantius dies. His son Constantine is the new vice-emperor of Galerius.
380 Christianity
Theodosius I proclaims Christianity as the sole religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD.
395 Rome splits
In 395 AD, Rome split into two empires - the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Each side had a ruler in charge of it. The Roman Empire was split by Theodosius.
410 The Visigoths sack Rome
This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has fallen to an enemy. It was a huge uproar.
476 End of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Ancient Rome
The last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus is defeated by the German Goth Odoacer. This is the start of the Dark Ages in Europe.
1453 The Byzantine Empire ends
The Byzantine Empire comes to an end as it falls to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It is renamed Istanbul in 1930.
