Professor Chester Starr in his book, in all available completeness and volume, examines the fleet of the Roman Empire, using literary and epigraphic sources. The author covers the period from the emergence of the fleet of Octavian Augustus and its decisive influence on the fleet of the empire as a whole to the victory of Constantine the Great over Licinius, including studies of the Mediterranean and Northern fleets and their significance in the history of the Roman Empire. Starr gives a realistic account of the lives and duties of the naval personnel, who, while not able to boast a dramatic history filled with impressive exploits, nevertheless performed an important, if auxiliary, task in ensuring the Pax Romana and the unity of the empire, the fight against pirates, delivery of troops and officials, patrolling border areas, sporadic performance of military functions on land.