A gripping account of the ascent of Rome – from agrarian backwater to capital of the world's greatest empire.

'An elegant, swift and faultless introduction to the subject' The Spectator

Starting with the founding myth of Romulus and Remus, Anthony Everitt charts Rome's development from its origins as a small market town in the 8th century BC, through various forms of patrician government, up to Caesar's victory in the Civil War that defeated the Roman Republic and paved the way for Augustus to transform republican oligarchy into imperial autocracy.

Using recent archaeological evidence and historical facts, and a wealth of legend and anecdote, Everitt shows how Rome grew – both internally, via ever more ambitious construction projects, and externally, through successful military campaigns.

As readable and accessible as it is authoritative and scholarly, The Rise of Rome is the perfect introduction to Roman history and civilization for the general reader.