"Illuminating. Caillan Davenport relies on letters, graffiti, songs, and other ancient evidence to construct an invaluable glimpse into how the Romans imagined their Caesars separate from the coins and banners that bore their likenesses."--Jim Kelly, Air Mail "Davenport has produced a masterwork of Roman history synthesis."--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review "This first-of-its-kind book sets back into motion the rumor mills and gossip circles that fed a fifty-million-person imperial audience hungry for news from an autocracy deliciously incapable of controlling the spread of information about itself--long before the rise of social media."--Noel Lenski, author of Constantine and the Cities: Imperial Authority and Civic Politics "Caillan Davenport gives us a new history of the emperors--told not from the palace, but through the voices of their subjects. Wide-ranging and authoritative, it is essential reading for anyone interested in Roman imperial power."--Kathryn Tempest, author of Brutus: The Noble Conspirator " Behind Caesar's Back is a tour through Roman imperial history on the wings of rumor and gossip. At once juicy and profound, Davenport's book makes a compelling case that the constant and ubiquitous conversation about the emperor offers a royal road to understanding the power dynamics of imperial rule.

"--Kyle Harper, author of The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire "Forever walking the tightrope between enlightened despot and tyrant, the Roman emperors were a precarious manifestation of monarchy in the ancient world. Davenport's fascinating book assesses how the emperor was perceived by those he ruled."--Guy de la Bédoyère, author of Gladius: The World of the Roman Soldier and Populus: Living and Dying in Ancient Rome.