Rome Victorious ― The Irresistible Rise of the Roman Empire

The Roman empire existed before there were Roman emperors. The imperial Republic began its expansion in the 3rd century BC. This imperium populi Romani not only expanded but evolved steadily over five centuries, enfranchising more and more of its subjects until from AD 212 there were no freeborn non-Romans left. Some of the most famous names in ancient history either promoted or opposed Rome's imperial fortunes, among them Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Boudicca, Vercingetorix, Antony and Cleopatra, Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius.

In this comprehensive new survey, the first to span the full four and a half centuries of Roman power, Dexter Hoyos traces what drove imperial expansion up to AD 212, what forms it took, and what impact it had on the peoples she subdued. The author shows that while Rome's rule could be harsh, it was also culturally flexible: and therein lay its success. Local communities ran their own affairs, spoke their own languages and maintained their own beliefs and cults.

Attractive to general readers, this book will be an ideal entrée for students of Roman history.

Dexter Hoyos is Associate Professor (retired) of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Mastering the West (2015), The Carthaginians (2010) and Hannibal: Rome's Greatest Enemy (2008) and the editor of A Companion to the Punic Wars (2011).