This is a highly readable history & a unique work of reference Focusing on the succession of the rulers of imperial Rome it uses timelines with at-a-glance visual guides to each reign & its main events Biographical portraits of the 56 principal emperors from Augustus to Constantine together with a concluding section on the later emperors build into a highly readable single-volume history of imperial Rome Biographical information is illustrated with busts of each emperor coin portraits battle plans & cutaway diagrams of imperial monuments Supporting datafiles for every emperor list key information such as name at birth wives & children full imperial titles & place & manner of death Genealogical trees & over 90 sidebars & special features on subjects ranging from Nero's Golden House to Diocletian's Palace allow the reader to delve even deeper Colourful contemporary judgments by such writers as Suetonius & Tacitus are balanced by judicious character assessments made in the light of modern research The famous & the infamous
- Caligula & Claudius Trajan & Caracalla
- receive their due while lesser names emerge clearly from the shadows for the first time Chronicle of the Roman Emperors is at once a book to be enjoyed as popular history an essential work of reference & a source of visual inspiration bringing to life one of the most powerful & influential empires the world has ever known 'A valuable volume providing a nice blend of information & entertainment'
- Teaching History ' Marvellous'
- New Scientist