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# Roman Republic and Empire

# Roman Republic and Empire

## Overview
Rome evolved from a small Italian city-state to a republic (509–27 BCE) and then an empire (27 BCE – 476 CE in the West) that dominated the Mediterranean world. Roman law, engineering, and governance profoundly shaped Western civilization.

## Key Facts
- Region: Mediterranean basin, Western Europe, North Africa, Near East
- Kingdom: ~753–509 BCE
- Republic: 509–27 BCE
- Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CE (Western), continued as Byzantine Empire in the East
- Capital: Rome; later Constantinople (from 330 CE)
- Language: Latin
- Writing: Latin alphabet

## Major Periods
- Roman Kingdom (~753–509 BCE): Legendary founding by Romulus
- Early Republic (509–264 BCE): Expansion in Italy, Conflict of the Orders
- Late Republic (264–27 BCE): Punic Wars, civil wars, Caesar's assassination (44 BCE)
- Principate (27 BCE – 284 CE): Augustus through the Crisis of the Third Century
- Dominate (284–476 CE): Diocletian's reforms through the fall of the Western Empire @t[=476]

## Achievements
- Roman law: Foundation of Western legal tradition [^1]
- Engineering: Aqueducts, roads (~400,000 km network), concrete, the Colosseum
- Pax Romana (~27 BCE – 180 CE): ~200 years of relative peace and prosperity
- Latin language and literature: Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, Tacitus

## Fall of the Western Empire
The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE when Odoacer deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus @t[=476]. Contributing factors included barbarian invasions, economic decline, military overextension, and administrative fragmentation [^2].

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[^1]: Jolowicz, H.F. *Historical Introduction to the Study of Roman Law* (Cambridge, 1972)
[^2]: Heather, P. *The Fall of the Roman Empire* (Oxford, 2006)
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## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Region: Mediterranean basin, Western Europe, North Africa, Near East" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Kingdom: ~753–509 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Republic: 509–27 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CE (Western), continued as Byzantine Empire in the East" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Capital: Rome; later Constantinople (from 330 CE)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 15: "Language: Latin" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Writing: Latin alphabet" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Roman Kingdom (~753–509 BCE): Legendary founding by Romulus" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Early Republic (509–264 BCE): Expansion in Italy, Conflict of the Orders" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Late Republic (264–27 BCE): Punic Wars, civil wars, Caesar's assassination ..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Principate (27 BCE – 284 CE): Augustus through the Crisis of the Third Century" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Roman law: Foundation of Western legal tradition [^1]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "Engineering: Aqueducts, roads (~400,000 km network), concrete, the Colosseum" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "Pax Romana (~27 BCE – 180 CE): ~200 years of relative peace and prosperity" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 29: "Latin language and literature: Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, Tacitus" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: Malformed temporal tag @t[=476] — see docs for valid syntax
> Fix to @t[=0476]
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 32: Malformed temporal tag @t[=476] — see docs for valid syntax
> Fix to @t[=0476]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Region: Mediterranean basin, Western Europe, North Africa, Near East" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Kingdom: ~753–509 BCE" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Republic: 509–27 BCE" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CE (Western), continued as Byzantine Empire in the East" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 14: "Capital: Rome; later Constantinople (from 330 CE)" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 15: "Language: Latin" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "Writing: Latin alphabet" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Roman Kingdom (~753–509 BCE): Legendary founding by Romulus" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Early Republic (509–264 BCE): Expansion in Italy, Conflict of the Orders" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 21: "Late Republic (264–27 BCE): Punic Wars, civil wars, Caesar's assassination ..." - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Principate (27 BCE – 284 CE): Augustus through the Crisis of the Third Century" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Dominate (284–476 CE): Diocletian's reforms through the fall of the Western..." - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 27: "Engineering: Aqueducts, roads (~400,000 km network), concrete, the Colosseum" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 28: "Pax Romana (~27 BCE – 180 CE): ~200 years of relative peace and prosperity" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 29: "Latin language and literature: Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, Tacitus" - what is the source?
> Jolowicz (1972) [^1], Heather (2006) [^2]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 26: "Roman law: Foundation of Western legal tradition [^1]" - Jolowicz source from 1972 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Yes, Jolowicz (1972) scholarship on Roman law remains current and authoritative.