The Edinburgh History of Ancient Rome is a chronological history of Rome and the Roman world in eight volumes. From the city's first settlement to the collapse of the western empire and the emergence of Byzantium some 1,500 years later, each volume encapsulates the ever-changing identity of Rome, providing overall unity to its dramatic history.

Series Editor: J. S. Richardson

Augustus: how the Roman Empire came about

The reign of Augustus, the first of the Roman emperors, has been seen, both by contemporaries and over the centuries that have followed, as a pivotal moment in the history of Rome. The final stage in the move to monarchical government and the structures he put in place, which were to last largely unchanged for over two hundred years, ensured this; but Augustus himself remains an enigmatic figure.

J. S. Richardson explores the processes which resulted in such a massive shift, and the often unforeseen events which led to the establishment of an empire and a dynasty.

Key features

• a pivotal volume in the series
• traces the changing shape of the entity that was ancient Rome through its political, cultural and economic history
• demonstrates how the effectiveness and dominance of Rome as the centre of work power became increasingly obvious

J. S. Richardson was Professor of Classics at the University of Edinburgh from 1987 to 2002.