'King's supreme ability is to imagine himself into the past. The scope of his knowledge is staggering' JOHN CAREY, SUNDAY TIMES At its largest extent, the Roman Empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Irish Sea, from North Africa to central Europe. A fifth of the world's population were Roman citizens. Even after the empire's dramatic decline and fall, its legacy continued to shape politics and laws, language and numerals, calendars and architecture. But what was Rome, who were the Romans, how did they achieve such domination - and why did their mighty empire fall? Ross King's cast of characters includes murderous emperors, rebellious women, remarkable thinkers, fugitive slaves and persecuted Christians. From the foundation myths of Romulus and Remus to the barbarian invasions, this is an unputdownable account of one of the greatest empires the world has seen.

Ross King is the author of many bestselling and acclaimed books about Italy, including The Shortest History of Italy, The Bookseller of Florence, Brunelleschi's Dome, Leonardo and the Last Supper and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. He lives near Oxford.