| 27 B.C.E.–68 C.E. | Julio-Claudian emperors; expansion into northern and western Europe |
| ca. 50 B.C.E.–20 C.E. | “Golden age” of Latin literature |
| ca. 3 B.C.E.–ca. 29 C.E. | Life of Jesus |
| 69–96 C.E. | Flavian emperors; restoration of order |
| 70 C.E. | Rebellion crushed in Judaea |
| 96–180 C.E. | Era of the “five good emperors,” with relative peace and prosperity |
| 193–211 C.E. | Emperor Septimius Severus expands Rome’s borders in Africa and western Asia |
| 212 C.E. | Edict of Caracalla makes all free males living in Roman Empire citizens |
| 235–284 C.E. | Barracks emperors; civil war; breakdown of the empire; economic decline |