Political institutions (27 BC – AD 284)

The Emperor in the Roman World by Fergus Millar (1992 (2nd Edition); ISBN 9780715617229) Intermediate Political – A monumentally important book for our understanding of the function of the Roman emperor from Augustus to Constantine. Millar constructs an image of the emperor ruling by petition – essentially responding to requests and questions from his subjects, whether individuals or grouped in cities or other associations. Along the way he also answers questions on the emperor’s wealth and residences, and his movements around the empire. The overall theme is one of gradual detachment from the city of Rome and the institutions of government that were based there.
The Senate of Imperial Rome by Richard Talbert (1984; ISBN 9780691102382) Intermediate Political – An exceptionally detailed analysis of the form and functioning of the Roman senate in the imperial period. A bit too dry to read cover-to-cover, but exceptionally good for dipping into for details about specific aspects of how the senate operated.

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