Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 After the murder of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Octavian rose to power. He used military force to defeat the tyrannicides Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, and then eliminated his erstwhile allies, among them Mark Antony. #2 The Roman Empire used the term cohors praetoria to describe a group of soldiers who were selected from the bravest. They were exempt from soldiers’ normal duties and received one and a half-time pay, but were not distinguished in battle. #3 The term praetorian was applied to soldiers serving a governor on his staff, or specialist crack troops. It was not used to describe the governor’s personal staff, but rather the garrison of Epiphanea in Cilicia. #4 The term praetorian cohort was well established by 44 BC, and it was used to describe the bodyguard that Octavian created for himself. It was made up of Caesar’s veterans who were settled in Campania.

“The dramatic story of the soldiers at the heart of the Roman empire . . . traces the history of the praetorians and the emperors they served.”—Adrian Goldsworthy, author of Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors Founded by Augustus around 27 B.C., the elite Praetorian Guard was tasked with the protection of the emperor and his family. As the centuries unfolded, however, Praetorian soldiers served not only as protectors and enforcers but also as powerful political players. Fiercely loyal to some emperors, they vied with others and ruthlessly toppled those who displeased them, including Caligula, Nero, Pertinax, and many more. Guy de la Bédoyère provides a compelling first full narrative history of the Praetorians, whose dangerous ambitions ceased only when Constantine permanently disbanded them. de la Bédoyère introduces Praetorians of all echelons, from prefects and messengers to artillery experts and executioners. He explores the delicate position of emperors for whom prestige and guile were the only defenses against bodyguards hungry for power. Folding fascinating details into a broad assessment of the Praetorian era, the author sheds new light on the wielding of power in the greatest of the ancient world’s empires. “Any future researcher into the subject will certainly begin here.”—The Times (London) “A lively and up-to-date history of the Praetorian Guard, the anti-coup divisions of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Constantine. De la Bédoyère tells their story with clarity and panache, and his book can be most warmly recommended both to aspiring tyrants and the ordinary armchair historian.”—The Sunday Times “Fast paced and engaging.”—The Sunday Telegraph “A definitive and highly readable account.”—Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

A captivating popular history that shines a light on the notorious Julio-Claudian women who forged an empire​ Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero--these are the names history associates with the early Roman Empire. Yet, not a single one of these emperors was the blood son of his predecessor. In this captivating history, a prominent scholar of the era documents the Julio-Claudian women whose bloodline, ambition, and ruthlessness made it possible for the emperors' line to continue. Eminent scholar Guy de la Bédoyère, author of Praetorian, asserts that the women behind the scenes--including Livia, Octavia, and the elder and younger Agrippina--were the true backbone of the dynasty. De la Bédoyère draws on the accounts of ancient Roman historians to revisit a familiar time from a completely fresh vantage point. Anyone who enjoys I, Claudius will be fascinated by this study of dynastic power and gender interplay in ancient Rome.

Examines how penicillian was invented, how it works and penicillin today.

Rome's power was under constant challenge. Nowhere was this truer than in Britain, Rome's remotest and most recalcitrant province. From the beginning to the end, a succession of idealists, chancers and reactionaries fomented dissent and rebellion. This book covers eleven rebellions and explains why Britain was a hot-bed of dissent.

Intriguing insight into the minds of two exceptional men whose contribution to our understanding of 17th-century England is incalculable. SPECTATOR Pepys and Evelyn first came to know each other during the Second Dutch War (1664-7). As the plague raged in the London they loved, they were both preoccupied with the business of casualties from the war, Pepys as Clerk of the Acts, and Evelyn as a Commissioner for Sick and Wounded Seamen and Prisoners of War. Nearly forty years later they were still corresponding, exchanging details of remedies for the afflictions of old age. Their friendship, and their relations with others, as recorded in their famous diaries and letters, provide an exceptional opportunity to witness life at the heart of Restoration England. This book includes every letter which could be located (some of which have been lost for more than a hundred years), and the complete text of each has been newly transcribed and fully annotated. Evelyn and Pepys are revealed in fresh dimensions as many details of their lives and friendship emerge which go unmentioned, or are barely alluded to, in the diaries. GUY DE LA BEDOYERE, historian, archaeologist and broadcaster, has also published an edition of Evelyn's Diary and a collection of pieces by Evelyn, The Writings of John Evelyn.

This book deals thematically with an extensive range of building types, from country villas and urban basilicas to bridges and lighthouses. It covers construction techniques, including interior decoration and features; military buildings, including frontier works, Hadrian's Wall, and the Antonine Wall; public buildings, including market buildings, inns, and monumental arches; sacred sites, including Romano-Celtic temples, Mithraea, and rural shrines; and much more. The appendices deal with orthographic projections, inscriptions, recommended sites, and Romano-British history.