When was the period in which the Romans lived?

The Roman Empire was preceded by a 500-year-old Roman Republic. The Empire was founded by Julius Caesar's appointment as perpetual dictator (of the republic) in (44 BC). The first emperor was Octavian (Augustus Caesar) and the empire continued (and divided into an east and west part) for several hundred years. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD and the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire ended in 1453 AD with the death of Constantine XI and the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks.

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The Roman Empire came into complete being around 27 BC. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 as Romulus Augustus was forced to abdicate by Odoacer. The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire endured until 1453 with the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks led by Mehmed II. Therefore, it is difficult to give an exact date when the Roman Empire ceased to exist.

The Roman Empire in it's entirety lasted from 27 BC to 476 AD.

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It actually was from 43BC to 410AD
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The Roman Empire is said to have begun when the Senate granted the title Augustus to Octavian on January 4, 27 BC. The date of the fall of the Roman Empire is usually given as 476 AD, though the empire did not really fall on that date.

The Roman Empire divided and was reunited several times, the last division being in 395. The event of 476 was the abdication of the last Emperor of the West, in favor of the Emperor of the East. But the West Roman Empire had already become a chaotic mess and never recovered. The emperors of the East Roman Empire tried to reconquer the West, but never got very far.

The East Roman Empire finally fell in 1453. Our current historians refer to the East Roman Empire from about 500 AD to 1453 as the Byzantine Empire.

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