THE ROMAN EMPIRE STANDS as the greatest political achievement in the  history of Western civilization. From its humble beginnings as a tiny  kingdom in central Italy, Rome grew to envelope the entire Mediterranean  until it ruled an empire that stretched from the Atlantic to Syria and  from the Sahara to Scotland. Its enduring legacy continues to define the  modern world. Mike Duncan chronicled the rise, triumph, and fall of the  Roman Empire in his popular podcast series "The History of Rome".  Transcripts of the show have been edited and collected here for the  first time. Covering episodes 1-46, The History of Rome Volume I opens  with the founding of the Roman Kingdom and ends with the breakdown of  the Roman Republic. Along the way Rome will steadily grow from local  power to regional power to global power. The Romans will triumph over  their greatest foreign rivals and then nearly destroy themselves in a  series of destructive civil wars. This is the story of the rise of Rome.

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The  creator of the award-winning podcast series The History of Rome and  Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations,  and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic.