AUGUSTUS Augustus was Rome’s first emperor. Augustus ordered the construction of many new temples and public buildings. He is quoted as saying 'I found Rome brick and left it marble.' The month Sextilius was renamed Augustus (August) in his honor. Augustus added many territories to the empire. Augustus's patronage of the arts helped make his reign the golden age of Roman literature.

CLAUDIUS The first emperor proclaimed emperor on the initiative of the Praetorian Guard. His legions conquered Britain. Claudius embarked on many public works throughout his reign, building aqueducts in the city and provinces were the most memorable.

Nero used the treason laws to kill whomever he considered a threat – including his mother and wife. He is known for burning Rome, which he blamed on the Christians. He threw thousands of Christians to the lions. He was thought to be insane.

The Colosseum was completed during his reign. The eruption of the volcano Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, occurred while he was in office. He destroyed the great Jewish temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.

TRAJAN Trajan is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman emperors. Under his leadership the Empire reached its greatest extent and Romans prospered. Trajan's great monument was his column in Rome depicting his victorious campaigns in Dacia under which his ashes are buried.

HADRIAN As Emperor, Hadrian spent most of his time traveling and inspecting his empire. He was keen to establish natural or man-made boundaries to his empire. He was the Roman Emperor responsible for the building of Hadrian's Wall in England, shielding the province from the northern barbarians. He is known as one of the "Five Good Emperors“.

DIOCLETIAN He reorganized the Roman army into border troops and palace troops. In order to stop the depopulation of the countryside, he established that the peasant son should continue his fathers' occupation. He split the empire into two parts: a western and an eastern part.

CONSTANTINE He was the first Christian emperor putting an end to the persecution of Christians. He united the empire. He built the eastern part of the Roman Empire as a center of learning, prosperity, and cultural preservation. Constantine rebuilt the city of Byzantium, and renamed it Nova Roma (New Rome); it later became known as Constantinople

ROMULUS AUGUSTUS He is known to history as the last of the Western Roman emperors. He is widely known by the nickname "Romulus Augustulus", though he ruled officially as Romulus Augustus. The Latin suffix - ulus means small. Hence, Augustulus effectively means "Little Augustus“.

JUSTINIAN He was the last “great” Roman emperor. He conquered many territories including much in the western Roman Empire. He rewrote Roman civil laws into a unified code called the Justinian Code. His reign also marked a blossoming of Byzantine culture, and his building program yielded the fantastic church of Hagia Sophia.