This is a concise, neatly arranged history of the Roman Empire, describing the founding of Rome, its expansion, and its collapse. It includes information about Roman culture, architecture, technology, religions, and its emperors. It is filled with beautiful pictures and interesting facts. I learned many things about the life of the Romans during their successful height of power. I found that in many aspects, they were very similar to us today. The only thing I can fault with this short introduction is its poor maps which lacked detail. ( )