TIME

Roman Empire

27 BCE

The upper body of the marble statue Augustus of Prima Porta, with his right arm raised and a breastplate carved in relief.

Recorded HistoryRoman Empire

The Republic becomes an empire.

In January 27 BCE Octavian, Julius Caesar’s adopted heir, gave up his extraordinary powers by his own account. The Senate answered with honors, including the name Augustus.

Convention treats this as the start of the Roman Empire. Rome already ruled far beyond Italy, and power now rested with one man.

27 BCE, placed on the scale of its era on a line leading toward now.

Era
Recorded History
Period
27 BCE
Edition
1/1
Status
Not Released
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Background artwork

Cinematic background showing the Roman Forum at golden hour. An illustration generated with an AI image tool for TIME. It is an artistic depiction, not a photograph or a record of the moment. The buildings are shown in an imagined composite.