Rome was the most powerful empire that ruled the world, from Europe to Africa, from Syria to Spain. During the 1st century AD, the Roman Empire ruled with superiority and ruthlessness. The powerful Roman Empire became a mirror of the civilization of authority, the force of fear, dictatorship and voracity. These powerful aristocrats were emperors, they sat at the top of Rome's social order, but many of these emperors abused their status and abilities. The history of the Roman emperors was a mixture of ingredients of love, murder, revenge, terror, voracity, jealousy and pride. The first century AD of the Roman Empire became a dangerous time of imperialism due to hereditary rule. The emperors of this era were not selected based on their ability and trustworthiness, but were simply born into hierarchical order. The Roman imperial throne featured such enormous power; the hierarchy rule was always open to clarification. Members of the royal houses were pushed into positions and used their authoritarian power to get what they wanted. Emperors had no elections and no term limits; it's a job for life. Once an emperor was on the throne, there was no easy way to retire. The emperor could only resist if the people believed in their rule, in the fact that they could be superior to anyone and everyone. When an empire's army was dissatisfied with the emperor's skill, he was greatly afraid. If dissatisfaction with the emperor's abilities spread further, his reign would be completely over. The reward of the emperor's power was enormous, but it was seriously dangerous power. A Roman emperor and his family lived a life of luxury. They enjoyed excellent wealth, authority and rights. The Roman imperial family ate the best foods, and dressed as......middle of paper......powerful men in history. The assassination of Julius Caesar proved to be the Roman Empire's greatest loss. However, his reign would be important to many Romans. His footsteps were their path to power and prosperity. Works Cited Irvin, Kyle, Zachary Alexander, Kirk Strawbridge. Our Western World, Volume One: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Early Modern Age. Iowa. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2013. Print.Sparknotes History Lectures: Link: http://www.sparknotes.com/history/: Link: The Roman Empire (60BCE-160CE).Ancient Civilizations Lecture Project: Link: http:// www .ushistory.org/civ/index.asp: Link: Ancient Rome. Link used: http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/caesar.html: Link obtained from the following approved source: InternetMedievalHistorySourcebook: Link: http:/ / /www.fordham.edu/Halsall/sbook.asp. Link: Ancient History Source Book: Link: De Vita Ceasarum: Julius