This book is orthodox in its range (from the foundation of Rome to the Covid pandemic), organised into specific historical periods (Renaissance, Illuminismo, Risorgimento), and traditional in telling history largely through eminent biographies and great historical events.

A book aimed at a general readership cannot enter into the debates of ancient historiography. The author acknowledges that attempts to distinguish between the historical and mythical in early Rome are dangerous, and trusts the classical historians thereafter. But they present their own problems, which current research balances against archaeological evidence. Tacitus may control the errors and generalisations of Suetonius and Cassius Dio, but the senator has his own reasons for telling stories as he does.