The Roman Republic and Empire
The Roman republic (Latin: Res republica Romana) was the period of ancient Roman civilization beginning with the overthrow of the Roman kingdom, traditionally dated to 509 BC, and lasted over 450 years, ending in 29 BC with the establishment of the Roman empire. The Roman republic was governed by a complex constitution, which centered on the principles of a separation of powers and checks and balances. It was not formal or even official, as it was largely unwritten, uncodified, and constantly evolving. Between 500 BC and 300 BC, the Republic saw its territory expand from central Italy to the entire Mediterranean world. In the next century, Rome grew to dominate North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, and what is now southern France. During the last two centuries of the Roman Republic, it grew to dominate the rest of modern France, as well as much of the east. One thing that we cannot forget that the Roman did are their architectures. All in all there are 52 ancient roman architectures including the colosseum, Pompeii, library of Celsus etc.
By the following century it included North Africa, Spain, and what is now southern France. Two centuries after that, towards the end of the 1st century BC, it included the rest of modern France, Greece, and much of the eastern Mediterranean. By this time, internal tensions led to a series of civil wars, culminating with the assassination of Julius Caesar, which led to the transition from republic to empire. The exact date of transition can be a matter of interpretation. Historians have variously proposed Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC, Caesar's appointment as dictator for life in 44 BC, and the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. However, most use the same date as did the ancient Romans themselves, the Roman Senate's grant of extraordinary powers to Octavian and his adopting the title Augustus in 27 BC, as the defining event ending...