The Roman Empire

This sweeping history of the Roman Empire from 44 BC to AD 235 has three purposes: to describe what was happening in the central administration of the Empire and in the entourage of the Emperor; to indicate how life went on in Italy and the provinces; and to show how these two different worlds impinged on each other. It comprises a vivid account of the most intriguing period in ancient history.

Designed for the general reader, the book strives for a balance between consideration of the centre and the periphery, and between narrative and discussion. To that end, the odd-numbered chapters provide a chronological account of Roman political life, from the age of Augustus to the Severans, from affairs of court to the machinery of the State. Intervening chapters discuss events and conditions in Italy and the provinces, while the author pays particular attention to what is known – from literary and archeological sources – about Roman art and architecture, religion and education, law and government. Professor Wells has absorbed all the scholarship of the last decade, and made alterations accordingly for this, the Second Edition, which also includes a comprehensive, updated bibliographical essay.

"Seldom has the government of the world been conducted for so long a term in an orderly sequence... In its sphere, which those who belonged to it were not far wrong in regarding as the world, it fostered the peace and prosperity of the many nations united under its sway longer and more completely than any other leading power has ever done."
THEODOR MOMMSEN