Dio Cassius' History of Rome was a massive undertaking. He published the entire collection in a total of 80 volumes. The books cover the events of Roman history from its founding in 753 B.C. up to Dio's own lifetime in the A.D. 100s. He covers myth and fact, beginning with the story of Aeneas discovering Rome. Throughout his text, Dio is primarily concerned with the politics of Rome, but he expresses care for the trickle down of political decisions on the populace. He addresses the various changes in morale, effectiveness, and accomplishment through the Republic, Empire, and, briefly, Medieval eras of Roman history.
As a former politician and senator, Dio is peculiarly qualified for this historical record. He not only records events but analyzes their arising and their consequences. He devotes much of his time to the discussion of leadership and authority. As Dio comments, his later volumes are written from firsthand evidence. Dio himself has seen recent events transpire and predicted their outcomes. He suspects the trends in power will lead to the fall of Rome, but he's years ahead of his time. He uses patterns of political history to interpret the response of a dominated people, concluding that the populace will tolerate only so much corruption and self-interest before losing faith entirely in their society.
