Roman Imperial Biographies
-
Augustus
2nd Edition
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
The first Emperor of Rome holds a perennial interest for anyone who with an interest in the Romans and their Empire. Augustus was a truly remarkable man who brought peace after many years of civil wars and laid the foundations of an Empire that lasted for nearly five centuries. Even today the Roman...
To Be Published October 31st 2013 by Routledge
-
Julius Caesar
The Colossus of Rome
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Julius Caesar offers a lively, engaging, and thoroughly up-to-date account of Caesar’s life and times. Richard Billows’ dynamic and fast paced narrative offers an imaginative recounting of actions and events, providing the ideal introduction to Julius Caesar for general readers and students of...
Published August 18th 2011 by Routledge
-
Constantine and the Christian Empire
2nd Edition
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
This biographical narrative is a detailed portrayal of the life and career of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great (273 – 337). Combining vivid narrative and historical analysis, Charles Odahl relates the rise of Constantine amid the crises of the late Roman world, his dramatic...
Published June 14th 2010 by Routledge
-
Galerius and the Will of Diocletian
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Drawing from a variety of sources - literary, visual, archaeological; papyri, inscriptions and coins – the author studies the nature of Diocletian’s imperial strategy, his wars, his religious views and his abdication. The author also examines Galerius’ endeavour to take control of Diocletian’s...
Published November 18th 2009 by Routledge
-
Domitian
Tragic Tyrant
This is the first ever study to assess Emperor Domitian from a psychological point of view and covers his entire career from the early years and the civil war AD through the imperial rule to the dark years and the psychology of suspicion. Pat Southern strips away hyperbole and sensationalism from...
Published October 5th 2009 by Routledge
-
Vespasian
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
From a pre-eminent biographer in the field, this well-documented and illustrated biography examines the life and time of the emperor Vespasian and challenges the validity of his perennial good reputation and universally acknowledged achievements. Examining received opinions on Vespasian, Barbara...
Published June 22nd 2005 by Routledge
-
Nerva and the Roman Succession Crisis of AD 96-99
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
The imperial succession at Rome was notoriously uncertain, and where possible hereditary succession was preferred. John Grainger's detailed study looks at aperiod of intrigue and conspiracy. He explores how, why and by whom Domitian was killed, the rule of Nerva, chosen to succeed him, and finally...
Published August 18th 2004 by Routledge
-
Aurelian and the Third Century
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Aurelian and the Third Century provides a re-evaluation, in the light of recent scholarship, of the difficulties facing the Roman empire in the AD 260s and 270s, concentrating upon the reign of the Emperor Aurelian and his part in summoning them. With introduction examining the situation in...
Published December 10th 2003 by Routledge
-
Trajan
Optimus Princeps
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Did Trajan really deserve his reputation as the embodiment of all imperial virtues? Why did Dante, writing in the Middle Ages, place him in the sixth sphere of Heaven among the Just and Temperate rulers?In this, the only biography of Trajan available in English, Julian Bennett rigorously tests the...
Published December 20th 2000 by Routledge
-
Year of the Four Emperors
3rd Edition
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
After Nero's notorious reign, the Romans surely deserved a period of peace and tranquility. Instead, during AD69, three emperors were murdered: Galba, just days into the post, Otho and Vitellius. The same year also saw civil war in Italy, two desperate battles at Cremona and the capture of Rome for...
Published July 19th 2000 by Routledge
-
The Age of Justinian
The Circumstances of Imperial Power
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
The Age of Justinian examines the reign of the great emperor Justinian (527-565) and his wife Theodora, who advanced from the theatre to the throne. The origins of the irrevocable split between East and West, between the Byzantine and the Persian Empire are chronicled, which continue up to the...
Published June 28th 2000 by Routledge
-
Hadrian
The Restless Emperor
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Hadrian's reign (AD 117-138) was a watershed in the history of the Roman Empire. Hadrian abandoned his predecessor Trajan's eastern conquests - Mesopotamia and Armenia - trimmed down the lands beyond the lower Danube, and constructed new demarcation lines in Germany, North Africa, and most famously...
Published February 23rd 2000 by Routledge
-
Tiberius the Politician
2nd Edition
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Tiberius has always been one of the most enigmatic of the Roman emperors. At the same time, his career is uniquely important for the understanding of the Empire's development on the foundations laid by Augustus.Barbara Levick offers a comprehensive and engaging portrait of the life and times of...
Published August 25th 1999 by Routledge
-
Septimius Severus
The African Emperor, 2nd Edition
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
In this, the only biography of Septimius Severus in English, Anthony R. Birley explors how 'Roman' or otherwise this man was and examines his remarkable background and career.Severus was descended from Phoenician settlers in Tripolitania, and his reign, AD 193-211, represents a key point in Roman...
Published March 10th 1999 by Routledge
-
Theodosius
The Empire at Bay
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Emperor Theodosius (379-95) was the last Roman emperor to rule a unified empire of East and West and his reign represents a turning point in the policies and fortunes of the Late Roman Empire. In this imperial biography, Stephen Williams and Gerry Friell bring together literary, archaeological and...
Published May 27th 1998 by Routledge
-
Diocletian and the Roman Recovery
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Published December 9th 1996 by Routledge
-
Claudius
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Claudius became emperor after the assassination of Caligula, and was deified by his successor Nero in AD 54. Opinions of him have varied greatly over succeeding centuries, but he has mostly been caricatured as a reluctant emperor, hampered by a speech impediment, who preferred reading to...
Published May 4th 1993 by Routledge
-
Marcus Aurelius
A Biography, 2nd Edition
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor who ruled the Roman Empire between AD 161 and 180, is one of the best recorded individuals from antiquity. Even his face became more than usually familiar: the imperial coinage displayed his portrait for over 40 years, from the clean-shaven young heir of...
Published May 4th 1993 by Routledge
-
Caligula
The Corruption of Power
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Of all Roman emperors none, with the possible exception of Nero, surpasses Caligula's reputation for infamy. But was Caligula really the mad despot and depraved monster of popular legend or the victim of hostile ancient historians?In this study of Caligula's life, reign and violent death, Anthony A...
Published May 4th 1993 by Routledge
-
Nero
The End of a Dynasty
Series: Roman Imperial Biographies
Nero's personality and crimes have always intrigued historians and writers of fiction. However, his reign also illuminates the nature of the Julio-Claudian Principate. Nero's suicide brought to an end the dynasty Augustus had founded, and placed in jeopardy the political system he had...
Published October 8th 1987 by Routledge