Tiberius was the second Emperor, following on from Augustus Caesar. Tiberius is one of the most accomplished conquerors in the history of the Roman Empire. Tiberius reigned from 14 CE until 37 CE.

Marcus Aurelius ascended to the position of emperor in 161 CE and ruled for just shy of 20 years. He was the preceding emperor (Antonius Pius)'s son-in-law, adopted son, and named heir. Antonius Pius died of natural causes.

Caligula was the third Emperor of Rome and ruled for four years after the death of Tiberius. Caligula’s reign was apparently marked by peace and prosperity for the first year or so, before Caligula suddenly descended into madness and brutality. It is unclear, from a modern historical perspective, if Caligula really did go insane or if he was merely the victim of the slanderous propaganda of later political regimes.

Octavian became the first Roman Emperor, and in doing so, dismantled the Roman Republic in 27 BCE. He was proclaimed “first citizen of the state” and crowned “Augustus” (“esteemed, revered”) Caesar. His reign marks the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

Hadrian’s Wall was built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (construction began circa 120 CE). The wall marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire in the British Isles and was constructed to deter barbarian invasions from modern-day Scotland.

For five-hundred years, from the late sixth century BCE until 27 BCE, Rome was a republic and power was shared by various republican institutions. After the various civil wars of the first century BCE, however, power was consolidated in the hands of Augustus Caesar, first emperor of Rome.

Tiberius succeeded Augustus as Emperor of Rome in September 14 CE. Caligula succeeded Tiberius in 37 CE. Claudius did not become Emperor until 41 CE, after the short-lived and incredibly tumultuous reign of Caligula.

Trajan is one of the most accomplished and esteemed emperors in the history of Rome. His reign marks the height of Roman territorial expansion. During his reign, Roman territory stretched from modern-day Portugal to modern-day Syria and Arabia — controlling the entirety of the Mediterranean, North Africa, western and central Europe, and the Near East.

Augustus Caesar (formerly called Octavian) was the first Emperor of Rome. He is popularly remembered for saying, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of Marble.” This quote is meant to summarize the great changes in the power of Rome that began with the reign of Augustus Caesar. It is also meant to demonstrate the great public works projects undertaken on Augustus’ orders to beautify and urbanize the city of Rome.

The Pax Romana refers to a period of time when the Roman Empire enjoyed relative peace and prosperity. The Pax Romana is said to begin with the reign of Augustus Caesar (the first Emperor) in 27 BCE. It lasted until 180 CE. During this time period, the various nationalities living within the Roman Empire experienced peace with one another (with the exception of a few notable uprisings). Furthermore, Rome undertook relatively few military campaigns to expand foreign territory.