Customer Reviews
Invaluable as a Reference Book - By: J. Chippindale, 19 May 2008 
For anyone with even a passing interestin Roman history this book is an invaluable source of knowledge about the Roman Emperor's. Personally it helps to set the scene for me even if the book is a work of fiction if I can pin point the period of Roman history that is being written about & knowing what emperor was reigningin Rome &in what years is a sure fire way of pin-pointing the periodin which the book is written.
Of course the book is so much more than a time scale of Roman history, there is also information regarding what wars if any were fought during a particular emperor's reign & what Roman building were attributable to any given emperor. The book covers the succession of 80 emperors, with biographical portraits of the 56 most notable ones. Names that leap out from the pages of the history books, Julius Caesar, Hadrian, Nero, all names to conjure with.
There are contemporary judgements made by writers of the time including Suetonius & Tacitus & these are balanced by character assessments madein the light of modern research. This is a book that is well worth having, not only for its reference capabilities but also it is a good readin its own right.
Rome's Emperors - By: D. Evans, 27 Mar 2008 This book is easily the most accessible & readable title on the Roman Emperors. It provides short biographies of the rulers of Rome from Augustus Caesarin 30 BC, right through to the fall of the Western Empire & the reign of Romulus Augustulusin AD 476.
The book is really well illustrated, with plenty of photographs of busts, coins & cameos, giving you an idea of the apperance of each emperor. The book also contains a few colour illustrations showing the architecture of the Imperial Palaces or the Colosseum. There are 328 illustrations, 111 of which arein colour.
What makes this book a worthy purchase is the sheer wealth of facts on each page. For instance, there is an addition of a timeline - This allows you to put the lives of the Emperors into the context of the period. The addition of family trees, information tables on the titles & achievements of each emperor & the addition of colour maps give you an even greater appreciation of the book. This title also has several sections which look at the art & architecture of the Roman Empire, from the Colosseum to Trajan's column, the city of Palmyra & the Palace of Diocletian & much, much more.
What I found very interesting were the biographies on the lesser known emperors, such as Florianus, Tacitus, Probus & Gordian III. These are rarely mentionedin history books, so it was great to read about these murky figures along with the biographies of more famous figures such as Augustus, Nero & Caligula.
My only complaint is that the later Roman emperors are not significantly covered. All the rulers from Constantine I onward are mentionedin just under eight pages. This is a shame as there were genuinely interesting figures from this period, including Julian the Apostate, Honorius, Theodosius the Great & Valens. It's a bit of a missed opportunity considering that some lesser emperors are given much more space, even if they only ruled for a few weeks.
Despite this small flaw, the book deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone with an interestin Ancient Rome or Classical Civilisation.
The roman emperors - By: T. W. W. Thomas, 26 Aug 2004 First of all this is one of the best books you can get for this subject,in terms being accurate & straight to the point, giving plenty of detail & not over doing it. This then not only makes it a exciting & educational read but also makes it a good reference guide. Allin all ane of the best book on the roman emperors you can get. An excelent job.
The Emperors: A complete chronology - By: MR R J WHITEAWAY, 28 Apr 2003 I had looked forward to receiving this book eagerly &in no way did it disappoint. Scarre's analysis goes into intricate depth & his ability to question the biases of some of the historians of the day is something which he can take real credit for.
Starting with Augustus, you journey through the ups & downs of the Roman Empirein startling detail, comprehensive accounts are given of each Emperor & dynasty, right through to the 5th century AD.
From this we are easily able to understand each Emperor at an individual level. Those that greatly forwarded the fortunes of the empire, the forgotten Emperors who ruled only briefly as well as the monsters & megalomaniacs!
I found this to be a thoroughly informative & gripping account.
A polished pageant of Rome's Emperors - By: bill.tamkin@ukgateway.net, 27 May 2000 Dr. Scarre has written an excellent review of the lives of the most powerful men of Imperial Rome. Chronologically, with linking time lines he introduces the reader to the men behind the torsos & coins which are often all that is left of their reign. The illustrations are well chosen & relevant to each subject & I particularly liked the contemporaneous quotes & the way they are explainedin context. The book is well laid out & suitable for simply reading through or for reference. The prose is scholarly & accessible. The book has a useful bibliography for those that want to take their interest further. In these days of computers & easy travel, I would like to have seen a list of website addresses of museums relevant to the subjects & some maps linked to each emperor indicating archeological sites where they had left their mark. Could this be the next book? Highly recommended.
