Septimus Severus was descended from Phoenician settlers in Tripolitania, North Africa and was emperor of Rome AD 193-211. Using archaeological discoveries from the 1960s onwards, together with literary sources, the author shows how "African" and "Roman" this man was and explores the meaning of his background and career. Birley begins by examining Severus' origins and rise to power, before going on to consider his military victories in Mesopotamia, Syria and Arabia which annexed more territory for Rome. Birley also looks at his time in Britain, where he saught to conquer Caledonia and was to die at York. Anthony Birley is author of "The People of Roman Britain", "Life in Roman Britain" and "Marcus Aurelius: A Biography".