The Twelve Caesars

The twelve Caesars is a gripping account of the lives of men who shaped the early Roman empire, and a catalog of the corrupting influence of power on Rome and its leaders. In this book you can learn about the early empire, the laws and traditions if that's what you want. However, far better than the history is the story, we learn about the personal proclivities and pecadilloes of great men and in that we come closer to them than any textbook or tv show. We hear what an eloquent citizen thought about the leadership of Rome and in his voice we can imagine a multitude. This is a must for anyone who wants to feel the basic humanity at the core of the Empire, in all its wretched glory. I enjoyed every salacious minute.

Ok its my fault I should have listened to an except first. the narrator is monotone, great for going to sleep with, but not good enough to hold your attention. Other things I didn't like - this is a translation of the original from early AD and I think this translation is from the 1950/60's. it needs updating in translation as it reads like a poor text book. I recommend you listen to an except first before buying.