This book examines how the experience of living with slavery shaped the way that the Roman elite thought about empire.

Introduction; 1. Romans and allies; 2. Masters of the world; 3. Empire and slavery in Tacitus; 4. Benefactors; 5. Patrons and protectors; 6. Addressing the allies; Afterword.

Myles Lavan is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of St Andrews.