The history of the Fabii Maximii is in many ways that of the Roman Republic. In the legends and historical scraps that survived the Republic, the members of the Fabius clan were, more often than not, the hammers that forged the empire. Few families contributed more to the survival and success of the Republic and for so many centuries. Few could boast such great glories; perhaps none could match the record of Fabian offices and honours in the Republic. Though the bloodline sank into obscurity in the early empire, the name still carried memories of great achievements past.

A historical detective work, this book explores the facts and fables of the Republic's most distinguished family. Chapters investigate not only the lives and careers of the Fabii Maximi, but the critical military and political contexts of their days. As a result, readers get not only the story of the Roman Republic's rise and domination of an empire, but a closer look at a family of Romans who made it possible.