Under Cæsars' Shadow

A series of biographical sketches examines the reigns and personalities of Rome's early imperial rulers—Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—and considers how their governments, vices, and public works shaped the social and moral climate of the first century. The author links these rulers' policies and characters to the environment into which Christianity emerged, discusses surviving monuments and ruins associated with their building projects, and supplies illustrative photographs and architectural descriptions. The volume blends narrative biography, cultural commentary, and material antiquarian detail to show how imperial power influenced everyday life and religious developments in that era.