1200 years of art, architecture, legend, and history—illuminated in simple, entertaining text and lively full-color pictures on every page. From the vast body of historical fact about ancient Rome Richard Erdoes has distilled a brief, lucid story that presents all the important dates, events, and personalities, from Romulus and Remus to the German chieftain who deposed the last Roman emperor.

Along the way Horatius defends the bridge; Hannibal rides his elephant over the Alps, Lucullus discovers a strange little fruit called the cherry; Spartacus leads a gladiators' revolt; Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus form a triumvirate of genius, power and money; Antony woos Cleopatra; and Nero strums his lyre while Rome burns.

These and other notable figures—the Sabine women, Augustus, Constantine, Atila the Hun—come to life in this vivid picture-and-text appreciation of the great civilization from which the Western world evolved. For children it is an ideal source of clear, reliable information, and it will refresh the memories of adults whose exposure to Latin and the Romans now seems ancient history.

From the dust jacket