Famous Romans

1. Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar may be regarded as Rome’s most important general and statesman. He was a great military leader and won many battles that helped him gain power and, in the end, made him the sole ruler of Rome.

During his military career he conquered Gaul, invaded Britain and kept Germanic tribes out of the empire.

Julius Caesar

Image: Unknown author, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

2. Augustus

Augustus was born as Octavian, son of a rich Roman banker. His great-uncle Julius Caesar adopted him and made him his heir. After Caesar’s death, Octavian formed an army to fight against Mark Antony, who took over control of Rome from Caesar. The two men came to an agreement and shared control of the Roman Empire. They also defeated Caesar’s murderers. When Octavian found out about the love relationship between Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, he saw this as a threat to the Roman Empire and turned against Antony. After Antony’s death, Octavian was given the name Augustus and became Rome’s first emperor.

Under his reign, Augustus expanded Rome’s territory. He conquered the Iberian Peninsula and pushed the boundaries of the Roman Empire north to the Danube River. He also gave orders to restore old buildings that needed repair and built roads to the outskirts of the empire.

After his death, Augustus was worshipped in Rome because of his successful reign .

Bust of Augustus
Image : © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Main Page / CC-BY 2.5

3. Nero

Nero was 17 when he became emperor of Rome in 54 A.D. He turned out to be a ruthless ruler who had his mother killed. But at first Nero was good-natured and a sensible leader. He focused on improving trade and the cultural life of the empire. However, as time went on, Nero became more violent and unpredictable.

According to rumours, he laid a fire that destroyed most of Rome. He blamed Christians for setting the fire and persecuted them throughout his reign. In 68 A.D. Nero saw that he no longer had the support of the Senate and committed suicide.

4. Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus were twins who supposedly founded the city of Rome. According to the legend, their parents abandoned them at an early age, placed them into a basket and put it into the river Tiber. A wolf discovered the basket and brought it to a shepherd, who brought up the twins.

When they became adults, the brothers argued over which hill to build a city on. After a following fight, Remus was killed and Romulus became the first king of Rome. He was a popular ruler and a great military leader.

5. Marcus Brutus

Marcus Brutus was a Roman statesman who helped assassinate Julius Caesar because he wanted to break his power. On March 15, 44 B.C. Brutus and other men stabbed Julius Caesar to death as he entered a meeting of the Senate.

After the Senate took over control of Rome again, Brutus was sent to govern the eastern part of the Roman Empire. In 43 B.C. Brutus killed himself after he had been defeated by Octavian and Mark Antony in the Battle of Philippi.

6. Hadrian

Hadrian became Roman emperor in 117 A.D. He was especially known for construction projects. He completed the Roman Pantheon and built a stone wall across northern Britain to defend the empire from outsiders. Hadrian travelled to almost every corner of the empire. He admired Ancient Greece and wanted to make Athens the cultural centre of the empire. Hadrian was considered to be a peaceful emperor. He died in 138 A.D.

The Pantheon in Rome
Image: Rabax63, CC BY-SA 4.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

7. Virgil

Virgil was Rome’s greatest poet. Born in northern Italy in 70 B.C. he started writing during his studies in Rome and Naples. His most famous work was the Aeneid, which was left uncompleted. Based on Homer’s Odyssey and the Iliad, Virgil describes the adventures of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who sailed westwards and founded the city of Rome. In the epic poem, Virgil shows the greatness of Rome and his admiration for its rulers.

In other poems, Virgil wrote about country and peasant life. After his death, Virgil’s influence spread throughout Rome. Roman schools taught their pupils about him and made them read his poems. Writers in the Middle Ages often referred to Virgil in their works.

8. Cicero

Cicero (106 – 43 B.C.) was a great Roman philosopher, speaker, and writer. He was one of the most important translators from Greek to Latin. Banned from Rome by the first triumvirate, he was later allowed to return. He was killed because of his opposing views. Even today, Latin students around the world read the works of Cicero.

Bust of Cicero
Image:José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro ,
via Wikimedia Commons

9. Constantine

Constantine I (275 – 337 A.D.) was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. When he ruled Rome, the Christians and other religious groups got their freedom. He rebuilt Byzantium, and named it Constantinople, the Christian capital of ancient Rome.

10. Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was a Roman governor in Judea during the time of Jesus Christ. He became famous as judge at the trial of Jesus Christ. He had Jesus killed for treason because he claimed to be the king of Jews. Leaders of Judea thought of him as dangerous to the Roman Empire.

According to the Bible, however, Pilate claims he did not want to have Jesus Christ crucified.

Painting that shows Jesus Christ appearing before Pontius Pilate
Image: Mihály Munkácsy, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons