<P> In Europe, the Roman Empire, centred in present - day Italy, began in the 7th century BCE . Beginning in the 3rd century BCE, the Roman Republic began expanding its territory through conquest and alliances . By the time of Augustus (63 BCE--14 CE), who became the first Roman Emperor, Rome had already established dominion over most of the Mediterranean . The empire would continue to grow, controlling much of the land from England to Mesopotamia, reaching its greatest extent under the emperor Trajan (d . 117 CE). In the 3rd century CE, the empire would split into western and eastern regions, with (usually) separate emperors . The Western empire would fall, in 476 CE, to German influence under Odoacer . The eastern empire, now known as the Byzantine Empire, with its capital at Constantinople, would continue for another thousand years, until overthrown by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 CE . </P> <P> In China, the Qin dynasty (221--206 BCE), the first imperial dynasty of China, was followed by the Han Empire (206 BCE--220 CE). The Han Dynasty was comparable in power and influence to the Roman Empire that lay at the other end of the Silk Road . Han China developed advanced cartography, shipbuilding, and navigation . The Chinese invented blast furnaces, and created finely tuned copper instruments . As with other empires during the Classical Period, Han China advanced significantly in the areas of government, education, mathematics, astronomy, technology, and many others . </P> <P> In Africa, the Kingdom of Aksum, centred in present - day Ethiopia, established itself by the 1st century CE as a major trading empire, dominating its neighbours in South Arabia and Kush and controlling the Red Sea trade . It minted its own currency and carved enormous monolithic steles such as the Obelisk of Axum to mark their emperors' graves . </P> <P> Successful regional empires were also established in the Americas, arising from cultures established as early as 2500 BCE . In Mesoamerica, vast pre-Columbian societies were built, the most notable being the Zapotec Empire (700 BCE--1521 CE), and the Maya civilization, which reached its highest state of development during the Mesoamerican Classic period (c. 250--900 CE), but continued throughout the Post-Classic period until the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century CE . Maya civilization arose as the Olmec mother culture gradually declined . The great Mayan city - states slowly rose in number and prominence, and Maya culture spread throughout the Yucatán and surrounding areas . The later empire of the Aztecs was built on neighbouring cultures and was influenced by conquered peoples such as the Toltecs . </P>

The prosperous african empire that facilitated early globalization was