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What was the Roman Empire?
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What was the Roman Empire?

The legions are gone. The empire isn’t. From law to language to the map of Europe, Rome’s operating system still runs the West.

The short answer

In 27 BC, a thirty-six-year-old who had won Rome’s civil wars did something cleverer than winning: he pretended to give the power back. Augustus called it the restoration of the Republic. It was the birth of the Empire — and of an idea that would outlive every legion ever raised.

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The legions are gone. The empire isn’t. From law to language to the map of Europe, Rome’s operating system still runs the West.…

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