What are the main sources of information we have available for the Roman Empire?

The Roman Empire has had an overwhelming effect on most societies still today. From the fifteenth century, countries in Western Europe began basing certain aspects of their governance on the Roman Empire. Even the American constitution is based on the Roman political system. At its height the Roman Empire was a centralised government encompassing the majority of Europe, the Near East and much of Northern Africa. Although we have a great understanding of this period, …

…inscriptions by the Romans gives us a wealth of knowledge about the way they use their language and commemorate and detail events as well as on ordinary individuals. Classical historians' works on the history of the Roman Empire are a good source of information on this as long as bias can be discovered. And finally, archaeological artefacts such as pottery can be used to indicate differences in Roman taste geographically and chronologically and trade patterns.