Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same This text brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs