Much of what we know about the Roman Empire comes from the many ancient historians who dutifully recorded the details of its major events and its culture. But as Paul Chrystal points out in this illustrated overview, Romans also developed records and other methods of information storage and communication that give us new perspectives on their epoch. For the Romans, Chrystal suggests, these records were their own brand of social media, engineered to disseminate information, legislation, propaganda, and misinformation to state officials, citizens, the military, and the enemy.