Well before Caesar, the government of the Republic had really failed because it could not deal with the problems it faced.  After the civil wars that followed Caesar's death, the Senate and people recognized that they could hope for good government only if they put power in the hands of just one or a few people .  Thus began a long succession of emperors.

    Some of the emperors were good rulers, some bad, some indifferent. Under imperial rule, Roman armies extended the borders of the empire until it reached its height around 150 A.D. when it included all the Mediterranean world and much of the Near East.

   We are not able to look in great depth at the Empire period, so we will concentrate on just a few of the more famous highlights.