Volume II of John Bonner’s classic retelling of the history of Rome has lost none of its attention-grabbing interest since it was first published, and provides the perfect introduction to younger readers of the story of the greatness and the glory that was Rome.
This second volume starts with the civil war which ended with the reign of Julius Caesar, the renewed conflict which followed his assassination, and the emergence of the first emperor, Augustus.
From there, the lives and events of all the emperors, including Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, Trajan, Valerian, Diocletian, Constantine, and many more, are detailed, with each story either more amazing or shocking than the last. Finally, the fall of Rome to Odoacer the German ends the story of the Roman Empire in the West.
Along the way, world-shaking events are discussed and reviewed: the wars with Germania, the further extension of the Empire, the division of the Empire into East and West, the advent of Christianity, the Gothic invasions, Attila the Hun, and much more.
Finally, the author considers the reasons for the fall of Rome, and warns that these causes might well yet happen again to future civilizations.