The Roman Empire began in 27BC when Augustus became the first official Roman emperor. At its height, it spanned as far west as northern England and as far east as Syria. Life in the Roman Empire ...

the Eastern Roman Empire would last for another 1,000 years before it too fell. At its peak, the Byzantine Empire stretched from southern Spain to Syria, on to to modern-day Turkey and Greece ...

His long rule saw a huge expansion in the Roman Empire and the beginnings of a dynasty ... The man who would become one of Rome’s greatest leaders had an unpromising start in life.