The life and reign of the emperor Lucius Septimius Severus

By Maurice Platnauer

One man changed Rome forever. In the turbulent hinge between the High Empire and the late Roman Empire, Septimius Severus rose from provincial outsider to the centre of power, and his choices set the tone for third century Rome. Maurice Platnauer delivers a lucid ancient Roman biography with narrative momentum and the discipline of a classical history monograph. This Septimius Severus biography traces the making of a soldier-emperor and the hard realities of a Roman emperor reign: legitimacy won and defended, armies courted, institutions tested, and a ruling house forged amid Severan dynasty politics. Severus also stands at a turning point, as imperial rule grows more openly military and dynastic. His reign helps explain how the principate edged towards autocracy, and why the Severan settlement mattered long after his death, as pressures mounted across the provinces and frontiers. Written as scholarly imperial history, the book keeps a cool eye on evidence, offering a dependable Roman history reference book for readers who want clarity without simplification. It speaks to university course text needs in Roman imperial studies, while remaining welcoming to the armchair reader and to classic-literature collectors who value classical antiquity scholarship in a well-made volume. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today, a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. More than a passing study, it remains a useful companion for anyone returning to the Severan age and the wider empire.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9353800706
• ISBN13: 9789353800703
• Release Date: July 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"