The Roman Empire was the largest & most enduring of the ancient world. From its zenith under Augustus & Trajan in the first century AD to its decline & fall amidst the barbarian invasions of the fifth century, the Empire guarded & maintained a frontier that stretched for 5, 000 kilometres, from Carlisle to Cologne, from Augsburg to Antioch, & from Aswan to the Atlantic. Far from being at the periphery of the Roman world, the frontier played a crucial role in making & breaking emperors, creating vibrant & astonishingly diverse societies along its course which pulsed with energy while the centre became enfeebled & sluggish. This remarkable new book traces the course of those frontiers, visiting all its astonishing sites, from Hadrian`s Wall in the north of Britain to the desert cities of Palmyra & Leptis Magna. It tells the fascinating stories of the men & women who lived & fought along it, from Alaric the Goth, who descended from the Danube to sack Rome in 410, to Zenobia the desert queen, who almost snatched the entire eastern provinces from Rome in the third century. It is at their edges, in time & geographical extent, that societies reveal their true nature, constantly seeking to recreate & renew themselves. In this examination of the places that the mighty Roman Empire stopped expanding, Philip Parker reveals how & why the Empire endured for so long, as well as describing the rich & complex architectural & cultural legacy which it has bequeathed to us.