History sees Augustus Caesar as the first emperor of Rome, whose system of ordered government provided a firm and stable basis for the expansion and prosperity of the Roman Empire. Hailed as 'restorer of the Republic' and regarded by some as a deity in his own lifetime, Augustus was emulated by many of his successors. David Shotter reviews the evidence in order to place Augustus firmly in the context of his own times. Key topics discussed include:
* the background to Augustus Caesar's spectacular rise to power
* his political and imperial reforms
* the creation of the "Respublica...

"The Fall of the Roman Republic, "provides an accessible introduction to this complex topic in Roman history. Drawing on a wealth of recent scholarship, David Shotter examines how the Roman republic was destabilized by the unplanned growth of the Roman empire. Key topics discussed include:
* the government of the republic
* how certain individuals took advantage of the expansion of the empire
* Julius Caesar's accession to power
* the rise of the Augustan principate following Julius Caesar's murder.
This new second edition has been revised throughout to take into...

The reign of Nero is often judged to be the embodiment of the extravagance and the corruption that have, for many, come to symbolise ancient Rome. David Shotter provides a reassessment of this view in this accessible introduction to Nero, emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD. All the major issues are discussed including:

Nero s early life and accession to power
Nero s perception of himself
Nero s domestic and international policies
the reasons for Nero s fall from power and its aftermath.

This new edition has been revised throughout to take account of recent...

The reign of Nero is often judged to be the embodiment of the extravagance and the corruption that have, for many, come to symbolise ancient Rome. David Shotter provides a reassessment of this view in this accessible introduction to Nero, emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD. All the major issues are discussed including:

- Nero's early life and accession to power
- Nero's perception of himself
- Nero's domestic and international policies
- the reasons for Nero's fall from power and its aftermath.

This new edition has been revised throughout to take account of recent...

The occupation of Britain for 400 years by the Roman Empire is still the subject of much interest and continually emerging material. "Roman Britain" by David Shotter offers a concise introduction to this period, drawing on the wealth of recent scholarship to explain the progress of the Romans and their objectives in conquering Britain. Key topics discussed include:
* The Roman conquest of Britain
* The evolution of the frontier with Scotland
* The infrastructure the Romans put in place
* The place of religion in Roman Britain.
Updated throughout to take account of recent...

Roman Britain by David Shotter offers an introduction to this period and an analysis of the current research, drawing on the wealth of recent scholarship to explain the progress of the Romans and their objectives in conquering Great Britain.

David Shotter provides a concise and accessible survey of the character and life of Tiberius Caesar, heir of Augustus Caesar and emperor of Rome from AD 14 to AD 37. "Tiberius Caesar "sheds light on many aspects of the reign of this enigmatic emperor, including the influential and often problematic relationships Tiberius maintained with the senate, his heir Germanicus and Sejanus. Other key topics discussed include:
* Tiberius's rise to power
* Tiberius's struggle to meet the demands of his role
* how far Tiberius's policies differed from those of Augustus
* why Tiberius retired...

Covering the world of ancient Rome, David Shotter's history examines the origins of the city and its rise to local power, the apogee of Republican Rome, and the rise and dissolution of the Roman Empire itself.

Suetonius has often been used as if he were an historian, and at the same time criticised for not being one.

Propelled to power by the age of 17 by an ambitious mother, self-indulgent to the point of criminality, inadequate, paranoid and the perpetrator of heinous crimes including matricide and fratricide, and deposed and killed by 31, Nero is one of Rome s most infamous Emperors.

But has history treated him fairly? Or is the popular view of Nero as a capricious and depraved individual a travesty of the truth and a gross injustice to Rome's fifth emperor?

This new biography will look at Nero s life with fresh eyes. While showing the man 'warts and all', it also caste a critical...