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Roman Imperial Biographies

About the Book Series

The Roman Imperial Biographies series provides a unique and virtually comprehensive collection of the lives and works of the most important Roman Emperors from Augustus, and the genesis of Roman Imperial rule, to Constantine, and the emergence of a rival empire in the East. The biographies analyse the political, military, social and religious impact of the emperors and the satellites, as well as examining the emperors as individuals.
The series offers an invaluable insight into the triumphs, failures and everyday lives of the men at the spearhead of the Roman Empire, which will be of enormous interest to the specialist and non-specialist alike. It represents the broadest range of Imperial Biographies currently available.

18 Series Titles


Marcus Aurelius A Biography

Marcus Aurelius: A Biography

2nd Edition

By Anthony R Birley
August 08, 2000

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 ...

Hadrian The Restless Emperor

Hadrian: The Restless Emperor

1st Edition

By Anthony R Birley, Anthony R. Birley
April 27, 2000

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...

Septimius Severus The African Emperor

Septimius Severus: The African Emperor

2nd Edition

By Anthony R Birley
November 16, 1999

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 ...

Tiberius the Politician

Tiberius the Politician

2nd Edition

By Barbara Levick
October 20, 1999

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 ...

Diocletian and the Roman Recovery

Diocletian and the Roman Recovery

1st Edition

By Stephen Williams
December 10, 1996

Stephen Williams's book is the first biography of Diocletian to appear in English. It combines the historical narrative of his remarkable reign and those of his fellow-emperors, with a chapter-by-chapter study of each of the great problems he faced, the interlocking solutions he evolved to meet ...

Agrippina Mother of Nero

Agrippina: Mother of Nero

1st Edition

By Anthony A. Barrett
June 05, 1996

In this dynamic new biography - the first on Agrippina in English - Professor Barrett uses the latest archaeological, numismatic and historical evidence to provide a close and detailed study of her life and career. He shows how Agrippina's political contribution to her time seems in fact to have ...

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