In this first of two volumes of Roman Family Empires: Household, Empire, Resistance, Dr Elliott examines the Roman household form as it was changing during the Augustan era - in this time, Augustus relied on his version of the family form to establish his one-man rule of the Empire. Dr Elliott lays out several forms of resistance to the Roman Empire and the family model on which it was built, and offers a reading of Paul's letter to Philemon, considering the many viewpoints in the room as the letter was read. Her reading reveals a complex negotiation of accommodation and resistance to the Roman family empire and its slave-owning households.