Die Kaiser von Rom

The New York Times bestseller by Mary Beard about the Roman emperors - from Augustus to Caligula, from Nero to Vespasian. Following her bestseller "SPQR", in which she wrote about the Senate and the people of Rome, the "world's most famous ancient historian" (The Guardian) now tells us about the life, rule and everyday life of the emperors. She shows what it really meant to be emperor of Rome, beyond the wild stories of intrigue, orgies and madness. She paints a colourful picture of the imperial era, full of the fullness of life. She describes how Augustus, Nero and Caligula conducted the affairs of government, depicts their everyday life in the Palatine, the Roman imperial palace, their duties and their relationship with the people. She introduces us to the emperor's wives and mistresses, his mothers such as Nero's mother Agrippina, the emperor's rivals, his secretaries, bookkeepers and court jesters, right down to the shoeshine boy and napkin holder. We learn what the emperor ate, how he travelled, who he slept with and what he was most afraid of. And it shows what ordinary people saw in the emperor, what the Roman people expected of him. He was not just the embodiment of their fears, which are reflected in the myths about the cruel rulers of Rome. They turned to him in times of need and conflict and saw him as the wise judge who would solve their problems. Mary Beard writes with humour and acumen about the art of ruling, about autocracy and corruption - and revolutionises our image of rulers and ruled in the Roman Empire. Opulently illustrated with 126 illustrations, including a colour illustrated section.