The rise and fall of the Roman Empire is the most remarkable story in the history of the ancient world, featuring a cast of colourful and complex characters: Julius Caesar, Pompey, Mark Antony, Brutus, Augustus, Caligula, Nero - the mighty and the mad, the triumphant and the treacherous. What is even more incredible than the speed of Rome's imperial expansion is the legacy that it has left behind - a legacy that is still felt two thousand years on.
The Romans' language, law, technology and customs have all been adopted by modern civilisations while many of their architectural, cultural and engineering feats survive as a reminder of the glory that was Rome. Cosmetics, concrete, flushing lavatories and the three-course meal: we owe them all to the Romans.
Focusing primarily on the turbulent years of the first century BC when Caesar battled his way to power, and Mark Antony succumbed to the charms of Cleopatra, this sumptuously illustrated book recounts the wars, intrigues, personalities and reforms of the period, along with the style and splendour that became the hallmark of the Roman Empire.
