<P> The exact date of transition can be a matter of interpretation . Historians have variously proposed Julius Caesar 's crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC , Caesar 's appointment as dictator for life in 44 BC , and the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC . However , most use the same date as did the ancient Romans themselves , the Roman Senate 's grant of extraordinary powers to Octavian and his adopting the title Augustus in 27 BC , as the defining event ending the Republic . </P>
<P> The exact date of transition can be a matter of interpretation . Historians have variously proposed Julius Caesar 's crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC , Caesar 's appointment as dictator for life in 44 BC , and the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC . However , most use the same date as did the ancient Romans themselves , the Roman Senate 's grant of extraordinary powers to Octavian and his adopting the title Augustus in 27 BC , as the defining event ending the Republic . </P>
when did the roman republic become an empire
when did the roman republic become an empire
27 BC
27 BC