Kronika. DINASTIA. Ascensiunea si caderea casei lui Cezar.

Tom Holland tells the story of Rome’s first five emperors. He starts with the murder of Julius Caesar. He then turns to the rise of Augustus. Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius come next. The story ends with Nero’s suicide in AD 68. At its heart is Rome’s slow shift to one-man rule. Before this shift, Rome was a republic.

This history tells a story for general readers drawn to ancient Rome. It picks up the tale Holland began in Rubicon. Court plots and family ties shape the use of power. Murder, betrayal, greed and the drive for power run through it. So do lust, incest, great wealth and moral decline. Holland links the rulers’ private lives to events across their empire. At times, he gives people more weight than the wider state.

Holland uses accounts from the ancient world but notes their gaps. He also points out claims that remain in doubt. He shows the setting of these sources, not just their flaws. He tells a story while showing where the past remains unclear.

Holland is British and studies the history of the ancient world. He studied at Cambridge and Oxford and lives in London. He writes for the press in Britain and the United States. This edition forms part of the Kronika series. Cristina Niculescu translated the book from English.