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Ancient Rome Timeline
Ancient Rome grew from a small city on the banks of the Tiber River into the greatest empire of the ancient world, lasting over a thousand years.
Put the Events in Order
The events shuffled, to number from first to last. With answer key.
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The story of ancient Rome stretches over more than 1,200 years — from a small hilltop village to an empire that ruled most of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Rome began as a kingdom, then became a republic governed by elected officials and a Senate, and finally became an empire ruled by a single emperor. Roman roads, laws, language, and ideas about government shaped almost every civilization that came after it — including the founders of the United States, who modeled parts of the American system on the Roman Republic.
- 753 BC
Rome Founded
According to Roman tradition, Romulus founds the city of Rome on the Tiber River.
Why it mattered: Whether legend or history, the Romans counted this as the start of their civilization — the beginning of one of the ancient world's greatest powers.
- 509 BC
The Roman Republic
Romans overthrow their last king and form a republic governed by elected officials and a Senate.
Why it mattered: The Republic gave Rome centuries of stable government and became a model that later influenced the founders of the United States.
- 264–146 BC
The Punic Wars
Rome fights three long wars against the powerful North African city of Carthage.
Why it mattered: Victory over Carthage made Rome the dominant power in the western Mediterranean and transformed it from a regional city into a world empire.
- 44 BC
Assassination of Julius Caesar
The popular general and dictator Julius Caesar is stabbed to death in the Senate on March 15.
Why it mattered: Caesar's murder ended the Republic — the civil wars that followed replaced elected government with one-man rule under an emperor.
- 27 BC
Augustus Becomes First Emperor
Caesar's heir Octavian, renamed Augustus, becomes Rome's first emperor, beginning the Roman Empire.
Why it mattered: Augustus launched two centuries of relative peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana, during which Roman power and culture reached their peak.
- AD 79
Mount Vesuvius Erupts
The volcano Vesuvius erupts and buries the Roman city of Pompeii in ash and rock in a single day.
Why it mattered: Preserved almost perfectly under the ash, Pompeii was excavated centuries later and gave historians an extraordinary snapshot of Roman daily life.
- AD 313
Edict of Milan
Emperor Constantine declares that Christians may worship freely throughout the Roman Empire.
Why it mattered: Christianity, once persecuted by Roman authorities, began its rise to become the empire's dominant religion, reshaping Western civilization for centuries.
- AD 380
Christianity Becomes Official
Emperor Theodosius makes Christianity the Roman Empire's official religion.
Why it mattered: The empire's embrace of Christianity helped spread the faith across Europe and deeply shaped the history of the Western world.
- AD 395
Empire Splits in Two
The Roman Empire is split between two emperors, one in the West and one in the East, and is never ruled by one emperor again.
Why it mattered: The weaker Western half would fall within a century; the Eastern Empire survived as the Byzantine Empire for another thousand years.
- AD 476
Fall of Western Rome
The last Western Roman emperor is deposed by a Germanic leader, ending the Western Roman Empire.
Why it mattered: Historians often use 476 to mark the end of the ancient world in Western Europe, though the Eastern Roman Empire went on for nearly 1,000 more years.
Ancient Rome Quiz
Check what you learned — read on screen, or download the Quiz with Answer Key above for a worksheet version.
What kind of government did Romans create in 509 BC?
- A) A council governed by the top generals of the army
- B) A republic governed by elected officials and a Senate
- C) An empire governed by one emperor and his royal guard
- D) A monarchy governed by a king and his royal family
What were the Punic Wars?
- A) Wars against Germanic tribes that ended the Western Empire
- B) Three wars with Greece that gave Rome control of Athens
- C) Civil wars between Roman generals that ended the Roman Republic
- D) Three wars with Carthage that made Rome a Mediterranean power
What happened on March 15, 44 BC?
- A) Julius Caesar was crowned the first emperor
- B) Augustus was named the first emperor of Rome
- C) Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army
- D) Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Senate
What was the Pax Romana?
- A) Two centuries of relative peace during the early Roman Empire
- B) A law that let Christians worship freely across the empire
- C) Two centuries of civil war during the late Roman Republic
- D) A peace treaty that ended the wars between Rome and Carthage
What did the eruption of Mount Vesuvius do in AD 79?
- A) It buried Carthage in ash, ending the Punic Wars
- B) It burned most of Rome, forcing the emperor to flee
- C) It buried Pompeii in ash, preserving it for centuries
- D) It flooded Pompeii with seawater, washing the city away
What did the Edict of Milan in AD 313 do?
- A) Declared that the empire would split into two halves
- B) Declared that Christians could worship freely
- C) Declared that Christianity was the only legal religion
- D) Declared that Christians must leave the city of Rome
What happened in AD 395?
- A) The emperor Augustus began two centuries of Roman peace
- B) The last Western emperor was removed by a Germanic leader
- C) The empire split for good into Western and Eastern halves
- D) The emperor Constantine let Christians worship freely
What does the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476 mark?
- A) The end of the ancient world and the beginning of the Middle Ages
- B) The end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance
- C) The end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Empire
- D) The end of the Punic Wars and the beginning of the Pax Romana
Show answer key
1. B · 2. D · 3. D · 4. A · 5. C · 6. B · 7. C · 8. A
Teaching packThe Ancient Rome Teaching Pack, $7 — A two-week unit for grades 5 to 7: 35 lesson slides with guided notes, illustrated readings, maps with Hannibal’s route, a city-founding decision, Roman aqueducts, the Republic and its social classes, Roman numerals, the Twelve Tables, a quiz and answer keys.See the pack
See it on the map
Pair this timeline with our printable The Roman Empire map — real historical geography — see the empire's full reach from Britain to Egypt. Open the map →
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For younger students
Ancient Rome Timeline for Kids — 7 short events with a picture for each, written for grades 2–4. Open →
How to print
Every sheet above is a ready-to-print PDF sized for US Letter paper (8.5 × 11"). The fill-in version keeps the dates and gives students lines to write each event, with the events listed at the bottom to place — good for review. The ordering activity and the quiz each end with an answer key.
Frequently asked questions
How long did the Roman Empire last?
The traditional dates for Roman civilization span from the legendary founding of Rome in 753 BC to the fall of the Western Empire in AD 476 — over 1,200 years. The Eastern Roman Empire, based in Constantinople, survived for another thousand years, finally falling in 1453.
Why did the Roman Empire fall?
Historians debate the causes, but common factors include pressure from Germanic peoples pushing in from the north, military overstretch, economic problems, political instability, and the difficulty of governing such a vast territory. The Western Empire weakened over decades and finally collapsed when its last emperor was deposed in AD 476.
What paper size should I print this on?
The timeline is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 in.). The Download PDF button gives you a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.