Author Description

A highly readable account of the life and career of Constantine the Great--one of the most influential Roman Emperors--from one of the best-read European scholars of antiquity. The book traces the emperor's political career as well as his religious development from a worshipper of Sol Invictus-Apollo to an avid Christian. It does so against a rich tapestry of the economic realities and intellectual trends of the age. Full of lively quotations--sometimes very moving--from ancient authors [see emperor Maximinus Daza's pean in praise of the pagan gods], inscriptions, imperial edicts which let you hear the voices of the emperors, and laudatory speeches, the story debunks many myths concerning the time of the emperor's conversion, the supposed Edict of Milan, and the relationship between the emperor and the early Christian Church; and it traces the roots of the feudalism of the Middle Ages. Author of forty international best-sellers behind the iron curtain, Aleksander Krawczuk remains almost completely unknown in the West, mainly as a result of Soviet Cultural policies which discouraged Polish books from being promoted in the West; but his success in the East was astonishing: supermarket sales clerks and bookkeepers talked about ancient Roman emperors. At one point, the good professor even ran an internationally syndicated TV program about Graeco-Roman antiquity. This book, written in his signature breezy, conversational, and yet profound style, is sure to delight the fan of antiquity in you. Treat yourself to a delightful week, pick up your copy today.