Romes early history is steeped in captivating legends, yet by the time of the Gallic sack of the city in the early fourth century BC, we enter the realm of historically verifiable fact. From this point on, Rome rose to become a world powerthough not without facing repeated, perilous military challenges. Wolfgang Blösel provides a knowledgeable, nuanced, and stimulating account that spans the period from Romes mythical origins under the kings to the collapse of the Republic amidst the turmoil of civil wars. Key themes of his narrative include the Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians, the evolution of the Roman magistracies, conflicts with powerful adversariesnotably Carthageand the fierce rivalries within the aristocratic elite. Finally, he focuses particularly on the breakdown of solidarity among the ruling class and the rise of figures such as Pompey and Caesar, who precipitated the end of the Republica process from which Octavian emerged victorious, subsequently establishing a new form of rule, the Principate, under the name Augustus.
