Romanization in the Time of Augustus

Why during the lifetime of Augustus (63 B.C. to A.D. 14) did Roman civilization spread so quickly, influencing art and architecture, religion, law, local speech, and city design throughout the ancient world? In his latest book Ramsay MacMullen argues that this acculturation was due to eager imitation by conquered peoples ably served by Romans' effective techniques of mass production and standardization.

Ramsay MacMullen, Dunham Professor Emeritus of Classics and History at Yale University, is ceo of PastTimes Press. He is also the author of Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries, Corruption and the Decline of Rome, Paganism in the Roman Empire, and Roman Social Relations, all published by Yale University Press.