The Roman Empire, 27 BC-AD 476: A Study in Survival

In this probing study, Starr covers the whole sweep of imperial Roman history, analyzing the binding forces of government & the army as initiated by Augustus, the maturing of these forces under subsequent emperors & the eventual collapse of this network in the western provinces. Not simply a chronological summary, the book explores in piquant, telling detail the elements & institutions that shaped the empire's history.