Basic Information
Roman Empire is the period of Ancient Rome from 27 BC to 476. This era starts with the rise of Gaius Octavian to be the first Emperor (functionally the end of the Roman Republic), and lasts until the Western Empire is overwhelmed by Germanic tribes such as the vandals and visigoths. The surviving, Eastern, portion of the Empire continued to claim the legacy of Rome but is known to everyone else as the Byzantine Empire.
This term may also be used in some contexts to refer to the territory controlled by Rome, whether in the Imperial Era or earlier.
For more information, see our Ancient Rome page.