The greatest empire on earth The empire of Rome may have begun as an insignificant settlement as early as the 10th century BC, but from its emergence from Etruscan ancestry into a new and separate people in 753 BC until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD it survived in one form or another for over two thousand years. However, for many it is ancient Rome, the Rome of emperors, republics and legions, that is the most evocative, and it is this period -a long span of years for any single political entity-that this concise book takes as its principal subject matter. The purpose of this book is to provide an accessible time line for students to understand the vast scope of the Roman world without becoming lost in its complexities. Beginning with the foundation of Rome and the dynasty of the Tarquins this account takes the reader through the Wars with Pyrrhus , the First and Second Punic Wars, the Syrian War, the conquest of Greece, the fall of Carthage in the Third Punic War and on until the fall of the city state to barbarian invasion in the 4th century AD. Each aspect of Roman civil and military life is touched upon as are the principal political events and the most notable personalities. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.