Hey folks. I’m becoming obsessed with Ancient Rome during the imperial period. I’ve read Gibbon’s Decline and Fall, which was great but really dense. I’ve also read Suetonius and other books on the first several Caesars.
Im searching for a book that provides a history of the Roman Empire, or even just the western Roman Empire. Most books on Rome seem to center upon the republican period, the first several Caesars, or the fall of the empire. But I’m looking for a book that gives a good treatment of not just the initial Caesars and the empire’s collapse, but of all the great stuff in between, such as Diocletian’s stabilization of the empire, etc.
I’ve looked at the AskHistorians booklist, which is great btw, but doesn’t recommend a book along the lines described above.
Thanks so much for any recommendations!
Is it okay if the book also covers the earlier period?
I am not sure if this is going to be too basic for you, but I am a fan of Christopher Mackay's Rome: A Military and Political History. He traces the institutions of Rome from the early days to the fall of the West; about 200 pages of the book is devoted to the imperial period. Not only is it a (somewhat dense but very readable) distillation of a fairly mainstream interpretation of the period as understood by modern scholarship, but there is a detailed bibliographies for both primary sources AND reputable secondary scholarship. I think of it as almost a road-map that will take you deeper into any topic you may find interesting.
I'm happy to answer any further questions you may have.