How Far Did the Roman Empire Stretch?

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At the peak of the Roman Empire’s reach, around A.D. 117, the Empire stretched as far north as modern Scotland, stretched down through Europe east into Asia as far as the border between modern day Iraq and Iran, with its southern reaches extending into northern Africa. At its height, the Roman Empire had geographic stake in up to 48 modern-day countries, including the Palestinian territories.

During its peak in the second century, the Roman Empire took up a good deal of the European continent as well as parts of western Asia and northern Africa. This sizable, multi-continent spanning empire began close to nine centuries earlier as a small city in modern day Italy on the Tiber River. As the B.C. era drew to a close, the already powerful Roman republic developed into a full-fledged empire. The early years of the Roman Empire, under the leadership of the emperor Augustus, were a golden age for the empire as its influence and borders expanded. After reaching its peak during the 100s, the Empire faced a slow decline before losing much of its territory during the fifth century and finally collapsing in 476. The legacy of the Roman Empire is still strong in the modern world, including strong influence on Western language, religion and more.