Rome was the most powerful empire that ruled the world, from Europe to Africa, and from Syria to Spain. In the first century AD, the Roman Empire ruled with superiority and cruelty. The mighty Roman Empire became the mirror of a civilization of authority, force of fear, dictatorship and voracity. These powerful aristocrats were emperors, sitting 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 composed of a mixture of ingredients of love, murder, revenge, terror, voracity, jealousy and pride. The first century AD of the Roman Empire became a perilous period of imperialism due to hereditary rule. The emperors of this era were not chosen based on their skills and trustworthiness, but were simply born into a hierarchical order. The Roman imperial throne presented such enormous power; the rule of hierarchy was always subject to clarification. Members of royal houses were pushed into positions and used their power of authority to get what they wanted. Emperors had no elections or term limits; It’s a job for life. Once an emperor reigns on the throne, there is no easy way to step down. The emperor could only last if his people believed in his domination, that he could be superior to everyone. When an empire's army was dissatisfied with the emperor's abilities, the emperor became very afraid. If dissatisfaction with the emperor's abilities spreads further, his reign will be completely over. The reward for the emperor's power was enormous, but it was seriously dangerous power. A Roman emperor and his family lived a luxurious life. They enjoyed excellent wealth, authority and rights. The Roman imperial family ate the best food and dressed middle of paper...powerful man in history. The assassination of Julius Caesar proved to be the Roman Empire's greatest loss. However, his reign must have been 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). Conference project on ancient civilizations: 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 Sourcebook: Link: De Vita Ceasarum: Julius