Few books before have explored the exploits, achievements and notorious antics of ancient Rome's imperial dynasties in such readable detail. This engaging chronicle describes the lives of every man (and quite a few women) who aspired to the purple, from Augustus in 30 BC to the misnamed Romulus Augustulus, an emperor forced into retirement in his early adolescence by a barbarian chief in AD 476. Many may be familiar with the descendants of Julius Caesar, from Augustus to Nero, but how many readers know about Maximus Thrax, Claudius II or the Gallic break-away empire of Postumus? All the emperors and major usurpers, well over 100 in all, come to life in this vivid narrative history, which is complemented by 280 drawings of their busts and coins, and over 70 maps and photographs. This new history of the Roman Emperors is a record of the political, social, military and economic strategies of the civilised world's most powerful and influential empire. It is a unique and essential companion to anyone interested in, or studying, the ancient Romans.