Vespasian: (Roman Imperial Biographies)

From a pre-eminent biographer in the field, this volume examines the life and times of the emperor Vespasian and challenges the validity of his perennial good reputation and universally acknowledged achievements. Levick examines how this plebeian and uncharismatic Emperor restored peace and confidence to Rome and ensured a smooth succession, how he coped with the military, political and economic problems of his reign, and his evaluation of the solutions to these problems, before she finally examines his posthumous reputation. Now updated to take account of the past 15 years of scholarship, and with a new chapter on literature under the Flavians, Vespasian is a fascinating study for students of Roman history and the general classical enthusiast alike.

Table of Contents:
List of plates List of maps Acknowledgements Abbreviations Key dates Stemma I: The Flavian Stemma II: The Arrecini and Julii Maps Introduction 1 A new man in politics 2 Vespasian and the aristocracy: the command in Britain 3 From Nero’s court to the walls of Jerusalem Appendix: Josephus’ dates for the Jewish War 40 4 The bid for Empire The year 69 Vespasian’s success 5 Ideology in action 6 A new Emperor and his opponent 7 Financial survival 8 Stabilization: the winning of peace 9 Enhancement: the physical and moral restoration of the Roman world Rome and Italy Provinces west and east: gifts, status, Romanization, titles 10 Imperialism: Vespasian’s army and the extension of the Empire 11 Elites 12 Vespasian and his sons 13 Conclusion: ideology in the aftermath Notes Concordance Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Barbara Levick is Fellow and Tutor Emeritus, St. Hilda’s College, Oxford. She has published extensively on Roman history, with titles including Tiberius the Politician (Routledge, 1999), Vespasian (Routledge, 1999), The Government of the Roman Empire, second edition (Routledge, 2001), Julia Domna: Syrian Empress (Routledge, 2007) and Augustus: Image and Substance (2010).

Review :
"This second edition of Vespasian includes an important new chapter on Literature and Politics in the Flavian Era. Barbara Levick applies her vast learning and scholarly integrity to an examination of the place of Flavian literature in the canon, and the effect the Flavian emperors had upon it. Her study elucidates how the writers of the age had the odds stacked against them and why they were, although not second-rate, predestined to be secondary to their Augustan predecessors of a hundred years earlier." - Geraldine Herbert-Brown, The University of Sydney, Australia "Levick’s book remains an important and useful contribution to scholarship ... Levick’s Vespasian has been a staple of undergraduate reading lists since its first appearance in 1999. It will remain so for years to come – and with good reason. As a work of scholarship it is solid, cautious, and frequently illuminating. Levick is a sound guide for any student or scholar approaching Roman politics during the years of Vespasian’s ascent and political supremacy." - Christopher Mallan, University of Oxford, UK, in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review