A sweeping history of the Roman Empire's influence beyond its borders
and through time
At its height in the second century AD, the Roman Empire extended across
continents, from Hadrian's border wall to the port towns of the Red Sea.
But its influence spread even further, with a legacy that lasts to this
day.
In this brand-new analysis of the world of Rome, award-winning
historian, archaeologist and broadcaster Simon Elliott sets off on a
grand tour of the whole Empire, reviewing each region in turn to show
how the experience of being part of the Roman world still dramatically
influences our lives today. This includes far-flung Britannia - the wild
west of the Roman world - whose extreme north was never conquered. Here
the legacy of a lengthy period of conquest is writ large across the
urban landscape and transport network, but also in present-day Britain's
differential relationship with its continental neighbors. In central
Europe, Emperor Diocletian created a schism that still dominates the
region, while the complex struggle for dominance in the Middle East is
directly linked to the world of Rome, and the boundary between North and
sub-Saharan Africa still broadly follows the Roman frontier, a so-called
'limes'. Beyond the limits of Empire, Elliott concludes with a chapter
reviewing how Rome has influenced other regions of the world including
India, China and the United States. The result is a fascinating
exploration of the reach of Rome beyond its borders and through time.
