The History Lover's Guide To Ancient Rome

The story of ancient Rome is one of struggle, conquest, glory and riches - told through archaeological evidence, ancient sources and classical mythology.

How Rome spread from a few hill-top settlements above the Tiber Valley and evolved sophisticated political and military systems to rule much of the Mediterranean is one of the world's greatest stories of civilisation. This book traces Rome's early beginnings, its rise, dominance and fall in the west.

Its evolution from a monarchy to the oligarchical Republic, eventual collapse (under pressure from populist generals) and transition to an imperial autocracy lasted more than a thousand years.

That the Roman Empire all but vanished from human memory, only to be rediscovered a thousand years later, makes it both an intriguing and salutary lesson for modern times.

Written in an engaging and accessible style the author records the history, culture and sites of ancient Rome with more than 150 original colour photographs that reveal, in a single volume, the marvel of the Eternal City.