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Description of  Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome

What do we know of the lives and personalities of the 80 emperors who reiged from Augustus to the fall of Rome? «Chronicle of the Roman Emperors» is the first book to focus on the succession of rulers of imperial Rome, using timelines and other visual aids throughout. Now no one need be in any doubt as to who built the Colosseum or when Rome was sacked by the Goths: the «Chronicle» provides the answers, quickly and authoritatively. This is only one aspect, however, of the book's value. The biographical portraits of the 56 principal emperors from Augustus to Cons tan tine, together with a concluding section on the later emperors, build into a highly readable single-volume history of imperial Rome. Colourful contemporary judgments by writers such as Suetonius and Tacitus are balanced by judicious character assessments made in the light of modern research. The famous and the infamous – Caligula and Claudius, Trajan and Caracalla – receive their due, while lesser names emerge clearly from the shadows for the first time. In addition to timelines detailing major events, each emperor is introduced by a coin portrait, a bust and a datafile listing key information, such as name at birth, full imperial titles, and place and manner of death. Numerous special features supplement the main narrative. «Chronicle of the Roman Emperors» is at once a book to be enjoyed as popular history, an essential work of reference, and – with its wide-ranging photogaphs, maps and diagrams – a source of visual i piration, bringing to life one of the most powerful and influential empires the world has ever known. With 328 illustrations, 111 in colour.