His father died when Augustus was four. His prospects were bleak: Rome was dangerous, engulfed by civil war between power-hungry factions. One of these was led by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar.

Augustus at War, can be read from cover to cover, or used as a reference, to be dipped into for information on the events of particular years, and is thus useful for both serious scholars and armchair ...

Having fought his way into power, Augustus used religion as a tool to protect his position and promote his political agenda. Having gained power by force in a bitterly fought civil war ...