â??He has no money, no reputation and no famous ancestors.â??The love story of the Emperor Vespasian, who brought peace to Rome after years of strife, and his mistress, the freed slave woman Caenis, this book recreates Ancient Romeâ??s most turbulent period â?? the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero and Vespasianâ??s rise to power.