one
Imperial dynasty that restored order after the chaos of AD 69. Began with Vespasian.
Flavian Dynasty
Diocletian's system of "rule by four," dividing the empire between two senior and two junior emperors.
Tetrarchy
Augustus's stepson and successor; capable but reclusive second emperor who became increasingly paranoid.
Tiberius
Elected official with the power to veto Senate actions and protect the rights of common citizens (plebeians).
Tribune
Dynasty of Rome's first five emperors, descended from Julius Caesar and Augustus, ruling AD 14–68.
Julio-Claudians
Jewish historian who wrote accounts of the Jewish-Roman wars, providing key historical sources for the period.
Josephus
Fourth emperor considered an unlikely ruler; successfully oversaw the conquest of Britain.
Claudius
"Philosopher-Emperor" of the 2nd century and Stoic thinker whose Meditations remain widely read today.
Marcus Aurelius
Third emperor, infamous for erratic and cruel behavior; assassinated after just four years in power.
Gaius/Caligula
Noblewoman whose rape by a king's son sparked the revolt that ended the Roman monarchy.
Lucretia
Roman hero who left his farm to serve as dictator, defeated Rome's enemies, and immediately returned to his plow. Known as “the good dictator”.
Cincinatus
Neighboring Italian people whose women were famously abducted by early Romans to populate the new city.
Sabine Women
Twin brothers in Roman legend who were raised by a wolf; Romulus killed Remus and founded Rome in 753 BC.
Romulus and Remus
Rightful king of Alba Longa and grandfather of Romulus and Remus, overthrown by his brother Amulius.
Numitor
Greek-born philosophy embraced by many Romans, teaching that virtue, reason, and self-control lead to a good life.
Stoicism
Heretical belief that Jesus was a created being subordinate to God the Father, declared heresy at Nicaea.
Arianism
"Roman Peace," roughly 200 years of relative stability and prosperity across the empire beginning with Augustus.
Pax Romana
Military general and rival of Julius Caesar; member of the First Triumvirate.
Pompey
First Christian emperor of Rome; issued the Edict of Milan granting religious tolerance and convened the Council of Nicaea.
Constantine
Trojan hero said to be the ancestor of the Romans, celebrated in Virgil's Aeneid.
Aeneas
Roman historian known for his critical accounts of the early emperors in works such as the Annals.
Tacitus
Germanic chieftain who deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, marking its traditional end.
Odoacer
Emperor who briefly attempted to reverse Constantine's legacy and restore traditional Roman paganism.
Julian the Apostate
Roman poet best known for the Metamorphoses; exiled by Augustus for reasons that remain debated.
Ovid
Practical and stabilizing emperor who founded the Flavian dynasty and began construction of the Colosseum.
Vespasian