Series: Blackwell Ancient Lives

Pompey the Great was one of the most important military commanders and politicians in the history of the Roman republic. Ruthless and manipulative — "moderate in everything but seeking domination," according to the historian Sallust — he also inspired devotion from his soldiers and friends. His achievements — including the defeat of Rome's most dangerous enemy, the conquest of large...

Drawing on recent scholarly advances and new evidence, Timothy Barnes offers a fresh and exciting study of Constantine and his life. First study of Constantine to make use of Kevin Wilkinson's re-dating of the poet Palladas to the reign of Constantine, disproving the predominant scholarly belief that Constantine remained tolerant in matters of religion to the end of his reign....

Robin Seager traces the life of Tiberius from his birth in Rome in 42 BC during the death throes of the Republic, through his military career and reign as Emperor, to his death in AD 37. Tiberius' complex character is the key to understanding his reign. Challenging the common ancient view of Tiberius as a consummate hypocrite, Seager portrays him...

This book presents the first biography written in English of the famous Babylonian lawgiver, King Hammurabi, who ruled from 1792 to 1750 BC. It offers a well-rounded view of this ancient Mesopotamian king's accomplishments by drawing on the extensive writings of his time, including those by Hammurabi himself. Numerous letters and reports by ambassadors to his court and others are...

In this updated edition of his concise biography, Werner Eck tells the extraordinary story of Augustus, Rome's first monarch. This work incorporates literary, archaeological, and legal sources to provide a vivid narrative of Augustus' brutal rise to power. It is written by one of the world's leading experts on the Roman empire and traces the history of the Roman revolution...