Starting from the two iconic dates of 753 BC (according to legend, the founding of Rome) and 476 AD (the deposition of the last Western Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus), the history of the Roman Empire spans more than 1200 years. This was not only a long period of time, but also an eventful one - after all, the inhabitants of the city on the Tiber River conquered an empire that, at its greatest expansion in 116 AD, encompassed most of Europe as well as parts of North Africa and Asia Minor. It would not be difficult to fill hundreds of pages with names and dates from the history of the Roman Empire, and of course such comprehensive accounts already exist. But don't worry, that's not what awaits you here. This book will give you an entertaining introduction to the history of the Roman Empire. You will find here only the information you need to understand why the 1200-year development took place as the sources tell us. And because incontrovertible facts are often sparser than one would expect or wish, you will also learn what we don't know (anymore) today and why that is so.