A Brief History of Ancient Rome

The history of Ancient Rome spans 13 centuries. The legendary state fell in 476 AD when the last Roman emperor was overthrown, who, in bitter irony, bore the same name as the founder of the city. However, the history of... Rome did not end there. Roman culture, having absorbed the achievements of other great powers, provided the medieval West and East with knowledge in all areas of life for many centuries. The famous researcher Ross King guides the reader through the tangled and dramatic history of the eternal city that gave rise to a powerful empire, where treachery and cruelty coexist with grandeur and heroism.
«Indeed, if a significant part of the world became Rome under Augustus and his successors, then in many ways we have also become Romans. In many places and in many respects, culturally, legally, and politically, the orbis Romanus continues to live. Claudian's proud boast — “The power of Rome shall have no end” — can be read not as a statement made in those times when the empire was on the brink of collapse, but as a prophecy of the future in which Roman culture, politics, and thought will live and thrive for thousands of years to come». (Ross King)