If you’ve heard the phrase “this is my Roman Empire” swirling around the internet, but aren’t exactly sure what it means, you’ve arrived in the right place.
It refers to the meme-ified moment when women realised that a bizarre majority of men, when asked, will admit that they think about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire far more than you’d imagine – totalling numerous times throughout a singular day for some.
Since then, citizens of the internet have been sharing their own personal ‘Roman Empires’, whether it pertains to celebrity pop culture or a particular series of fantasy books and sometimes even highly specific cultural moments, like when John Travolta called Idina Menzel ‘Adele Dazeem’.
Jokes and silly gendered assumptions aside, those who think about the ancient Romans more than they care to admit have every reason to. Every time we use the tap to grab a glass of water, we might think about the fact that the Romans invented aqueducts.
Those fancy enough to enjoy the benefits of underfloor heating during the colder months might do well to remember that our ancient friends came up with the idea. Going somewhere nice? The Romans probably paved the way, quite literally.
“What have the Romans ever done for us?” a motley bunch of Pythons once sang. “Apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order…”
Though their violent, pillaging tendencies and desire to conquer rightly angered a few, the influence of a people that existed over 2,000 years ago in the modern world truly knows no bounds.
From Augustus Caesar proclaiming himself the first emperor of Rome in 31BC to the fall of the empire in 476 AD, we’ve curated a selection of the best books about Roman history below.
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Professor Mary Beard
One of the world’s foremost classicists, Mary Beard has written a number of fantastic books on Roman history. SPQR (which references the Romans' own abbreviation for their state, Senatus Populusque Romanus) covers a whopping 1,000 years of history.
Beard details just how the Romans went from a small village to a globe-covering empire, their numerous architectural, engineering and artistic achievements, the development of democracy, deadly political controversies and so much more. If you’re going to use one, highly accessible and expansive book as a reference point for the entire history of the Roman Empire, let it be this.
Buy now £10.63, Amazon
Emperor of Rome by Professor Mary Beard
After shining a spotlight on the century-long history of the Roman Empire in SPQR, Beard homed in on the emperors that ruled throughout the nation’s storied history in Emperor of Rome. Rather than offering a simple chronological account of the emperors from Caesar to Augustulus, Bears offers her signature expansive analysis on everything from the actual role and duties of the Roman Emperor and the intricate infightings that led to such deadly power struggles.
Buy now £6.92, Amazon
Rubicon by Tom Holland
Beloved historian Tom Holland details the bloody and dramatic fall of the Roman Republic, and how it came to be re-established as the Roman Empire in Rubicon. From the doomed desires of Mark Anthony to the war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, explore just how the Romans managed to lose sight of the representative democratic ways that they had once pioneered.
Buy now £9.88, Amazon
The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
The scholar Suetonius worked as a private secretary to Emperor Hadrian which enabled him to access the imperial archives. He would go on to use this insider knowledge to produce one of the most important biographical works in history, The Twelve Caesars, covering the public and private lives of the rulers of Rome throughout its colourful history – from Augustus to Nero and everything in between.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
Memoirs of Hadrian by Professor Marguerite Yourcenar
Originally published in France in 1951, Memoirs of Hadrian remains one of the most important pieces of historical literature on the makings of the Roman Empire. A unique hybrid of fictional and non-fictional writing, Yourcenar covers some of the most significant events in Roman history, as though Hadrian himself is narrating them.
Buy now £19.43, Amazon
Rome (Oxford Archaeological Guides) by Amanda Claridge
An indispensable guide to the archaeological history of ancient Rome, Claridge works through the most important monuments across the empire dating between 800BC and 600AD – from Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum to the Mausoleums of Augustus and Hadrian, the Circus Maximus, and the Catacombs.
It’s a must-have for those planning on visiting Rome, as it features over 220 high-quality maps, site plans, diagrams, and photographs. It’s also divided into fourteen main areas, with star ratings to help you plan your visit in advance.
Buy now £19.85, Amazon
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Edward Gibbon (Volume I)
Certainly not for the faint of heart, Edward Gibbon’s six-volume history of the Roman Empire remains the most expansive to date, originally published in the 18th century. In this first volume, Gibbon covers the empire from the reign of Augustus up until 395AD, offering fascinating historical perspectives on the existence of the Christian church during this period, as well as the first Christian and last pagan emperors, Constantine and Julian.
Buy now £17.99, Amazon
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
A Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist, Seneca has been described as the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. This collection of his letters, translated by Robin Campbell, offers invaluable insight into the personal philosophy of a man ravaged by ill health, exile and danger throughout his life, who nevertheless upheld his ideals of Stoicism – seemingly never affected by any of life’s setbacks.
Buy now £9.19, Amazon
The Aeneid by Virgil
Virgil’s Aeneid was inspired by Homer and served as the inspiration for Milton’s Paradise Lost as well as Dante’s Inferno. Aeneas is Virgil’s hero in this epic poem, and we follow the heroic survivor of the fall of Troy as he embarks on the creation of a new empire. It’s far from historical fact, but is an important read for those looking to understand the myths and legends that governed the Greco-Roman Empire.
Buy now £16.99, Waterstones
