THE RISE OF ROME

In this newest work of history, the bestselling author of Cicero, Anthony Everitt, tells the remarkable story of the unlikely rise of the greatest empire the world has ever known: Rome. Historians have long pondered the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, but how was the empire won?

Anthony Everitt offers a vivid, erudite, page-turning account of the emergence of antiquity's greatest power and the remarkable personalities that led to a position of greatness unmatched in history.

From its founding as a small market town in the eighth century B.C. to Caesar's victory in the Civil War that defeated the Republic and marked the beginning of the Empire, the story of Rome is rich with extraordinary moments and lasting lessons. Everitt shows how Rome almost absentmindedly became the leading power in the Middle East, suggesting that the Romans' strategy of inviting the peoples they defeated to become citizens was instrumental in extending the empire and fostering loyalty. He outlines the influence Rome has had on our world, from art to the arts of government, and vividly illustrates how every Western power since has sought to be "the new Rome." But he also reveals that even as Rome's empire grew, its constitution began to break down: old habits of compromise were replaced by violence and civil war; unimaginable wealth and power corrupted the traditional virtues of the Republic--at the end of Everitt's narrative, Rome is triumphant everywhere except at Rome itself.

Unique in the literature, The Rise of Rome is an epic thrill ride that tells the story of one of the world's greatest civilizations in a galvanizing, contemporary way.

With more than 300,000 books in print, Everitt's previous biographies of Hadrian, Cicero, and Augustus have been met with critical acclaim and have established him as an authoritative voice and an unparalleled storyteller.

Anthony Everitt is visiting professor in the visual and performing arts at Nottingham Trent University, has written extensively on European culture and is the author of Cicero, Augustus, and most recently, Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome. He has served as secretary general of the Arts Council for Great Britain. Everitt lives near Colchester, England's first recorded town, founded (of course) by the Romans.