Rome Feature

OCTAVIAN, later known as Caesar Augustus, was Rome's first emperor (27 BC- AD 14), and his rule began a 200-year peace known as the Pax Romana.

The name of NERO (AD 54-68) lives in infamy as a violent persecutor of Christians, and as the murderer of his wife, his mother, and countless others. Although it's not certain whether he actually fiddled as Rome burned in AD 64, he was well known as an actor.

DOMITIAN (AD 81-96) declared himself "Dominus et Deus," Lord and God. He stripped away power from the Senate, and as a result after his death he suffered "Damnatio Memoriae"—the Senate had his name and image erased from all public records.

TRAJAN (AD 98-117), the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy (in southern Spain), enlarged the empire's boundaries to include modern-day Romania, Armenia, and Upper Mesopotamia.

HADRIAN (AD 117-138) is best known for designing and rebuilding the Pantheon, constructing a majestic villa at Tivoli, and initiating myriad other constructions, including the famed wall across Britain.

MARCUS AURELIUS (AD 161-180) is remembered as a humanitarian emperor, a Stoic philosopher whose Meditations are still read today. Nonetheless, he was devoted to expansion and an aggressive leader of the empire.

CONSTANTINE I (AD 306-337) made his mark by legalizing Christianity, an act that changed the course of history, legitimizing the once-banned religion and paving the way for the papacy in Rome.