Goodman presents a lucid and balanced picture of the Roman world examining the Roman empire from a variety of perspectives; cultural, political, civic, social and religious.

The book covers the period of more than 200 years from the time of Julius Caesar until the end of Marcus Aurelius' reign. Through the 30 chapters of this book, readers will gain a complete insight into the political history of the golden age of the Roman Empire. Contents: From the Battle of Actium to the Foundation of the Principate The Principate The Joint Government of the Princeps and Senate The Family of Augustus and His Plans to Found a Dynasty Administration of Augustus in Rome and Italy — Organisation of the Army Provincial Administration Under Augustus — the Western Provinces Provincial Administration Under Augustus — the Eastern Provinces and Egypt Rome and Parthia — Expeditions to Arabia and Ethiopia The Winning and Losing of Germany — Death of Augustus Rome Under Augustus — His Buildings Literature of the Augustan Age The Principate of Tiberius (14-37 A.D.) The Principate of Gaius (Caligula) (37-41 A.D.) The Principate of Claudius (41-54 A.D.) The Conquest of Britain The Principate of Nero (54-68 A.D.) The Wars for Armenia, Under Claudius and Nero The Principate of Galba, and the Year of the Four Emperors (68-69 A.D.) Rebellions in Germany and Judea The Flavian Emperors — Vespasian, Titus and Domitian (69-96 A.D.) Britain and Germany Under the Flavians — Dacian War Nerva and Trajan — the Conquest of Dacia Literature From the Death of Tiberius to Trajan The Principate of Hadrian (117-138 A.D.) The Principate of Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.) The Principate of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 A.D.) Literature Under Hadrian and the Antonines The Roman World Under the Empire — Politics, Philosophy, Religion and Art Roman Life and Manners

The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome tells the story of 2200 years of the use and misuse of the idea of Roman decline by ambitious politicians, authors, and autocrats as well as the people scapegoated and victimized in the name of Roman renewal. It focuses on the long history of a way of describing change that might seem innocuous, but which has cost countless people their lives, liberty, or property across two millennia.

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.

JULIUS CESAR, the triumvir and the founder of the Roman Empire, was the grandnephew of C. Julius Caesar, the dictator, his adoptive father. Originally named, like his true father, C. Octavius, he entered the Julian family after the dictator's death, and, according to the usual practice of adopted sons, called himself C. Julius Caesar Octavianus. But the name Octavianus soon fell into disuse, and by his contemporaries he was commonly spoken of as Caesar, just as Scipio Emilianus was commonly called Scipio.