The classical historian Theodor Mommsen (1817-1903) published his History of Rome between 1854 and 1856. His work was received with widespread acclaim by the scholarly community and the reading public. In 1902, in recognition of this monumental work, Mommsen was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and acclaimed as 'the greatest living master of the art of historical writing'. Mommsen rejected traditional Enlightenment accounts, which glorified ancient Rome; instead, guided by a new and rigorous criticism of sources, he began the demythologisation of Roman history. In a vivacious and engaging style, using modern terms to express classical ideas, Mommsen drew bold parallels between the nineteenth century and classical Rome. Volume 1 begins with Rome's earliest origins and ends with the unification of Italy; it contains separate chapters on religion, law and justice, art, and writing. This 1862 translation is based on the German third edition (1861).

特奥多尔·蒙森（Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen），德国著名历史学家、法学家。早年在基尔大学攻读法律和语言学，1842年获哲学博士学位。后长期在大学教授历史，对古代史，特别是罗马史有精湛的研究。他也是一个突出的政治家，曾是普鲁士和德国的国会议员。他对罗马法的研究对德国民法典有着重大的影响。撰有《罗马公法》和《罗马史》等多部重要著作。1902年因《罗马史》获得诺贝尔文学奖，成为世界上迄今第一位，也是唯一一位获此殊荣的历史学家。