The Roman Era is a period in Western history, when ancient Rome was the center of power of the world around the Mediterranean Sea, where Latin was the lingua franca. City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ...

Depending on sources, the Roman era starts somewhere in the 2nd or 1st century BC (e.g. 146 BC, Greece subjected by Rome for the first time - 30 BC, the Roman empire stabilised for many centuries to come by Caesar Augustus), and ends when the Middle Ages start. This end date is even less defined, since several centuries elapse between the first major defeats of the Roman Empire, e.g. Rome looted by vandals, and the final defeat of the Eastern Roman empire (which had its center of power moved to Constantinople). Conventionally, and as far as Western history is concerned, the end of the Roman era is placed as early as 330 AD, and as late as the 6th century. For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... The famous statue of Octavian at the Prima Porta Caesar Augustus (Latin:IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS) ¹ (23 September 63 BC–19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, is considered the first and one of the most... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... Map of Constantinople. ...

Preceding Rome, Greece, and in particular Athens, had been the center of power and intellectual activity in the Western world. Even during the Roman era, Greece was highly respected for its rich cultural history, but it had lost its worldly power. Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ...

Roman authors and artists turned primarily to Greek sources, when composing the cultural tapisserie that became known as Roman ancient culture, e.g. Virgil, when describing the mythical origins of Rome in his Aeneid, turned to Homer's tales about Troy, both stylistically, and for linking the "history". A sculpture of Virgil, probably from the 1st century AD. For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ... The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BCE (between 29 and 19 BCE) that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For the fictional character in The Simpsons, see Homer Simpson. ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy Troy ( Ancient Greek Τροία Troia or Τροάς Troas also Ίλιον; Turkish:Truva, Hisarlık 39°58′N 26°13′E, Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city, scene of the Trojan War, described in the Trojan War cycle, especially in the Iliad, one of the two...

Similarly for Cicero, the early highlight of Roman era culture, it is apparent his thinking is rooted in Greek stoa. Also Ovid had his part in connecting Greek deities to equivalent Roman deities with Latin names. Marcus Tullius Cicero (IPA: ;) (January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was an orator and statesman of Ancient Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin orator and prose stylist. ... The Painted Porch (Stoa poikile), during the 3rd century BC, was where Zeno of Citium taught Stoicism. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC â€“ Tomis, now Constanta AD 17) Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women, and mythological transformations. ...

See also

• List of Ancient Rome-related topics
• Roman empire
• Roman culture
• Classical Rome
• Latin language
• Roman Gaul
• Roman Britain