Using memoirs, letters and official reports, this book provides a vivid account of the Roman way of war, empire building, civilization and pax. It covers all the great events of Roman history, from the Battle of Mylae, the triumph of the barbarians to Rome's social, cultural and religious life in all its grandeur and depravity. Sources as varied as inscriptions, temple visits, household accounts and gladatorial games open a window into a world of Ancient Rome, a civilization which still marks contemporary landscape with its roads and aqueducts, the western calendar, our laws, traditions and thoughts.