This book continues the journey into ancient Rome begun in *Masters of the World*, the first volume of the "Pax Romana" cycle—a sweeping panorama of the Roman world at the dawn of our era. The Empire exerts its dominion over almost every part of the known globe at that time. The army has become a collective entity, playing the role of a vehicle for assimilation and integration. At eased by peace, the Urbs—a true bridge between different cultures, religions, and social classes—is at its zenith. But although Rome has finally triumphed over its enemies, incessant worries weigh upon the aging Augustus, weary and alone at the pinnacle of power. The governance of the world remains to be organized. A daunting and arduous task, both internally and externally. The Emperor struggles to cope with administrative difficulties, the tangled intrigues surrounding the succession, the selfishness of those around him, their senseless passions, jealousies, and illicit love affairs. Other sources of trouble exist in German politics. The vast trans-Rhenish territories between the Rhine and the Albis (the Elbe) remain under purely formal subjection. Romanization of this new province has not yet been achieved; the warlike tribes are cunningly avoiding it. The imperial legate's attempts to introduce Roman customs and strengthen central authority are causing growing discontent. And in the East, insignificant Judea, ever unstable, presents even more complex challenges: the governor of Syria cannot see clearly through such a tangled mess! Worn out and discouraged, the old Emperor nevertheless continues to tirelessly seek in everyday life the solution to the multiple problems that the administration of the world makes a necessity for him, so that Rome may retain the Empire that it obtained at the price of so much blood and with the help of fortune.