The history of ancient Rome is the history of a city, of its people, and of its empire which at its height encompassed all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea and which stretched from Britain in the west to Syria in the east. Roman civilisation relied on the wealth won in war and conquest and was dependent on slavery. While much of Rome’s history can be understood through the lives of its emperors, even more can be learned from the lives of its ordinary citizens and from the archaeological remains of the city, its monuments, streets, temples, bars and houses.

This wonderfully illustrated, accessible introduction to ancient Rome examines the myths about the founding of Rome and explores the city’s bloody transition from republic to empire. It looks at the lives of Rome’s most famous rulers and the tumultuous events which led to the end of Roman civilisation. This book also explores the daily lives and beliefs of the ordinary people of Rome, its citizens and slaves, and the different peoples of the empire.