Ancient Rome was a vast and varied metropolis. By coercion and seduction it attracted a population from every province of its empire, as well as foodstuffs, building materials and entertainment from all over the world. What impact did the possession of empire have on the city itself? How did its inhabitants, visitors and subjects comprehend its unique role? How did Rome stay Roman when it encompassed the world? This collection of essays seeks to explore key aspects of the relationship between Rome and its empire.

Exploring the significance of Rome from the late eighteenth century to 1945, scholars from several disciplines, including English literature and history of art as well as classics, discuss a wide range of images and texts, from statues of Napoleon to Freud's dream analysis. Rome's astonishing range of meanings has made it a fertile paradigm for making sense of--and also for problematizing--history, politics, identity, memory and desire.

What did the city of Rome mean to ancient Romans? Roman writers, Cicero, Virgil, Juvenal and others, described their city in many different ways: they marveled at its beauty, they despaired of its dirt, they explored its history, they lamented its absence. Their writings have played a vital part in determining responses to the city both in their own time and in later centuries. This book explores a wide range of descriptions of the city from later periods as well as from antiquity.

The letters of Seneca are uniquely engaging; they offer an urgent guide to Stoic self-improvement but also cast light on Roman attitudes towards slavery, gladiatorial combat and suicide. This edition of a selection elucidates their language, literary style and distinctive approach to philosophy within their historical context.