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.
Nero: The End of a Dynasty
1st Edition
By Miriam Griffin
December 28, 2000
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 ...
Trajan: Optimus Princeps
1st Edition
By Julian Bennett
December 21, 2000
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 ...
Year of the Four Emperors
3rd Edition
By Kenneth Wellesley
September 01, 2000
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...
The Age of Justinian: The Circumstances of Imperial Power
1st Edition
By J. A. S. Evans
August 30, 2000
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 ...
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
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
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
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
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
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 ...