Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon and plunged Rome into civil war. Tom Holland’s account tells the story of Caesar’s generation, witnesses to the twilight of the Republic and its transformation into an empire.

From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought to life. Combining verve and scholarship, Rubicon is an engrossing history and a portrait of a great civilization in times of self-sacrifice, rivalry, decadence, catastrophe, intrigue, war, and ambition.