Key learning points

1. The Roman Republic continued to expand, conquering places like Ptolemaic Egypt.
2. Julius Caesar rose to power as a general and then as dictator of Rome, but was murdered by jealous senators in 44BCE.
3. Augustus was victorious in the subsequent civil war and became Rome's first emperor.
4. The empire retained a senate which awarded the emperors their power.
5. The Roman Empire expanded under the emperors as they used conquest to legitimise their rule.

Keywords

• Dictator - a dictator is a person with complete power and control over a country

• Civil war - a civil war is a war between different groups of people from the same country

• Emperor - an emperor is the ruler of an empire

Common misconception