This book is a masterpiece of historical scholarship. In a wonderful narrative, Rostovtzeff describes every aspect of the socioeconomic life throughout Roman civilization, from the Julio-Claudians to Diocletian. His main thesis is that the history of the Empire is essentially a three-way struggle between the Senatorial upper classes, the city bourgeoisie (knights) and the proletariat. If you think that an essay primarily concerned with how people feed and clothe themselves could never be a page-turner, this book will prove you wrong.