Roman Empire, 27 B.C.-A.D. 476

In this probing study, Starr covers the whole sweep of imperial Roman history, analyzing the binding forces of government and the army as initiated by Augustus, the maturing of these forces under subsequent emperors, and the eventual collapse of this network in the western provinces. Not simply a chronological summary, the book explores in piquant, telling detail the elements and institutions that shaped the empire's history.