JULIUS CAESAR: ROMAN COLOSSUS

Now New York Times bestselling author, Lars Brownworth, brings to life the figure Alexander Hamilton called "the greatest man who ever lived."

In 49 BC a Roman army marched south from the Alps and crossed the Rubicon, a shallow river that marked the northern border of the territory controlled by the city of Rome. The army was led by a young general and Roman politician called Julius Caesar, and when he crossed the Rubicon he ignited a series of civil wars that led to the overthrow of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Roman Empire. He extended Roman power across the Rhine and the English channel, conducted whirlwind affairs with two queens, created the modern calendar, and profoundly changed the political workings of Rome. He was, by both ancient and modern estimation, one of the most complete men that the ancient world ever produced.

His death was as dramatic as his life. The brilliant tactician who had spent a career unflinchingly facing death, walked unguarded into a senate chamber and was struck down in one of the most notorious political assassinations in history. But even before the smoke cleared from his funeral pyre, he had become a larger-than life figure. The fallen dictator was reborn as Shakespeare's colossus, straddling the globe.

Lars Brownworth is an author, speaker, broadcaster, and teacher based in Maryland, USA. He created the first history podcast, "12 Byzantine Rulers", which Apple recognized as one of the 'top 50 podcasts that defined their genres'. He has written for the Wall Street Journal and been profiled in the New York Times, who likened him to some of history's great popularizers. His books include the best-selling "The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings", "The Normans: From Raiders to Kings", "In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades" and "Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization". He has a very wide following.