How long did the Roman Empire last, according to Issue.27?

The edition gives 27 BC to AD 476, or 502 years, and says the Eastern Empire lasted until 1453. Its zenith, the Pax Romana, runs from 27 BC to AD 180.

Which categories does the data sheet cover?

Political regime, law and punishment, architecture, economy and money, technology, food and drink, medicine, sex and marriage, contraception and birth, and childhood and school.

Why does the edition study an empire?

The author has always championed understanding history in order to understand the present, and writes that a society that does not study what has already happened keeps repeating the same mistakes.

Place

Roman Empire

What is the Roman Empire in the Agency editorial?

The Roman Empire is the subject of Issue.27, the first part of a series on the anatomy of different empires in the history of humanity. The edition calls it one of the most influential and long-lasting empires in history, with a profound impact on the development of Western civilization.

In short

Issue.27 studies the Roman Empire through a data sheet titled The Anatomy of an Empire: A Mosaic of Roman Civilization. The author wanted a snack-sized study that would make history interesting again for all ages, especially kids. The data sheet highlights 10 key categories, from politics and law to food, medicine and family life, each grounded in scholarly references, so that we can remember how people lived in the past and rediscover new ways of living in the present.

Key facts

How long did the Roman Empire last, according to Issue.27?: The edition gives 27 BC to AD 476, or 502 years, and says the Eastern Empire lasted until 1453. Its zenith, the Pax Romana, runs from 27 BC to AD 180.
Which categories does the data sheet cover?: Political regime, law and punishment, architecture, economy and money, technology, food and drink, medicine, sex and marriage, contraception and birth, and childhood and school.
Why does the edition study an empire?: The author has always championed understanding history in order to understand the present, and writes that a society that does not study what has already happened keeps repeating the same mistakes.

What is the Roman Empire in Issue.27?

In Issue.27 the Roman Empire is the first of the empires whose anatomy the author sets out to study. The idea came from the infographic made for Issue.24, Boiling Red Cobalt: if Agency produces data sheets with such precious data, the author asked, why not make one that is more visual and more fun to study? The edition was drafted over two years before it was finished, and the author calls it probably the most humanistic article written so far.

How does the edition portray it?

Each category of the data sheet answers questions in sequence, often with a strength and a weakness: why people accepted the ruler, who the law protected, how the state was paid for, what everyone ate, how children learned. The edition gives its own figures along the way, such as a few hundred officials ruling about 50 million people, and fewer than 5% of the population owning more than 80% of the land. The goal, in the author's words, was to capture both the macro and micro aspects of the civilization, from its customs to its state.

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Issue.27 - The Roman EmpireNovember 5, 2026Read the edition

Also from these editions: concepts

Also from these editions: terms

Related terms

denariusnoun: A standard silver coin in ancient Roman currency that served as the principal denomination of daily commerce and military pay.
imperatornoun: A title of honor originally bestowed on victorious military commanders in Rome, which later became the formal designation of the reigning emperor.
usurpationnoun: The wrongful seizure of sovereign power or throne through rebellion, military coup, or assassination without legal right.