Article examines the various religious options that were available to Roman and non-Romans living in the empire.

This site describes the Roman religion. It explains the gods and goddesses and their origins, prayer and sacrifice, offices of the state religion, festivals, and the beginning of Christianity.

Find out about the infamous Nero, the burning of Rome, and his persecution of the Christians in this passage from William Morey's 1901 textbook.

In this entry from William Morey's 1901 textbook you will read about Constantine and the changes he made that had a lasting effect on the Roman Empire.

The reign of Diocletian is discussed in this article from William Morey's 1901 textbook. Check out the chart that shows how the Roman Empire was split into East and West.

This World Heritage website features Ravenna in Italy, which was the center of the Roman Empire at one point, and later of the Byzantine Empire in Italy. Presented on this website are eight Christian buildings, and their mosaics, from...

This site contains information on two important religious edicts given by Roman emperors relating to Christianity and its role as a persecuted religion in ancient Rome.

A timeline that is a part of a PBS documentary about Peter and Paul. The timeline shows what is happening in the Roman Empire at the same time as events in the Jewish communities.

A scholarly article in which the author discusses the recent archaeological discoveries that have allowed us to construct a picture of the world of the early Christians. These findings include ancient manuscripts, ancient inscriptions...

An essay on the life of Constantine, his relationship with Christianity, the founding of Constantinople, his death, and more.

Details about Paul's letter to the Christian community at Rome, which centers on the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.

This provides in depth information about many aspects of the catacombs of Rome which were used by early Christians. Position, history and artifacts are all discussed. Please note that ?The Catholic Encyclopedia? is a historic reference...

A detailed timeline on the early history of the religion from the time of Julius Caesar (44 B.C.E.) to 327 C.E. and the death of Constantine.

This site from the Fordham University provides some primary source documents on Emperor Diocletian. Great information, and it shows the level of persecution against the Christians in ancient Rome.

Wikipedia provides information on Mithraism, a secret mystery religion of the Roman Empire.

The Maronites are an ancient East Christian sect; the Maronite church was the first Syrian church to join Rome, and thus it became the first Uniate of the East. Maronites today number about 1,300,000. Half a million of them reside in...

Palestinians inhabit an area east of the Mediterranean Sea and south of Lebanon. The Jordan River, Lakes Huleh and Tiberias, and the Dead Sea separate Palestine from Jordan. Christians refer to Palestine as "the Holy Land." Today...

Syriac is a branch of the Aramaic family of languages and was the lingua franca of the eastern Roman Empire at the beginning of the Christian era. It is also spoken extensively in the regions farther east. It became the language of...

Discusses the Christian religion, the province of Judea, the story of Jesus, belief system, persecution by the Romans, the spread of Christianity, and the different Christian sects that have evolved.

This New Advent article reviews the various aspects of the sacrament of Marriage from the point of view of the canon law of the Catholic Church. Please note that "The Catholic Encyclopedia" is a historic reference source and should be...

Detailed description of the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages and the power that it wielded. Summarizes some of the customs and beliefs, and takes a look at the life of a medieval monk.

A brief look at the history of Armenia from 800 BC through its place in the Roman Empire, part of the Soviet Union, and finally, independence. From U.S. State Department Background Notes.

St. Augustine (354-430) is profiled and links are provided to full-text translations of his City of God and other works.

While conventionally the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West is thought of as an age of darkness, in fact it was the formative period of a new culture. Christian missionaries brought a form of Christianity to the...