For all the size and splendor of the Roman Empire, its fate was primarily shaped by the actions of a small number of military leaders. Here the author Cannae and Pax Romana focuses on its greatest generals, including Julius Caesar, Scipio Africanus, Marius, Pompey, and Titus. From the bitter struggle with Carthage in the third century BC to the last desperate attempt to win back the Western Empire in the sixth century AD, each chapter paints a fascinating portrait of a single general, offering insight into his leadership skills and victories as well as each one's pioneering strategies, many of which are still used today.