Roman Empire of the Second Century: Or, The Age of the Antonines

The second century AD was Rome's golden age, a period of unprecedented prosperity and stability that would shape Western civilization for centuries. William Wolfe Capes, a distinguished classical scholar, guides readers through the reigns of the five Antonine emperors: the cautious Nerva, who stabilized the empire after Domitian's assassination; Trajan, the soldier-emperor who expanded Rome's borders to their greatest extent; Hadrian, the meticulous administrator who rebuilt the empire's frontiers and transformed its cities; and Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king who spent his reign defending civilization against barbarian hordes while writing his Meditations. Capes also examines the empire's religious landscape, the state's complex relationship with the rising Christian faith, and the sophisticated administrative machinery that held this vast realm together. This is not merely a chronicle of emperors and conquests, but a meditation on leadership, governance, and the fragile foundations of civilization itself.