Are the stories about the Roman Emperors generally true?

Both cautioned that the most outrageous stories about Rome's emperors should be taken with a grain of salt. Ancient historians often sought favor with a new emperor by slandering old ones. read more

That's why historians use as many primary sources of historical documents as possible when writing good, reliable history. The temptation to write about the debauchery of some Roman emperors is strong. The stories, even if apocryphal, are so wickedly delightful that it is often hard to resist playing up their most scandalous details. read more

By the time the Roman Empire fell it was officially Christian. Rome was a village that was first settled in a swampy area between seven hills in central Italy. Romans themselves felt that Rome's greatness was built on Roman virtues, particularly the virtue of loyalty to the Roman gods, the Roman state, and the Roman family. read more

This might explain why centuries later during the reign of Marcus Aurelius that the merchants who claimed to represent the Roman Empire were so well recieved by the Chinese. They had already heard about it. read more