Otho was furious. He gained the support of the Praetorian Guard, who assassinated both Galba and Piso – just seven months after Galba had been named emperor. Now it was Otho’s turn to rule.

The Eastern Roman Empire had seven simultaneous emperors during ... which resulted in Galba’s assassination and Otho’s proclamation as emperor by the Senate. Bust of Vitellius. Credit: Luis García / ...

Otho comes next, with a more symphonic metal style that explores how Otho, the Roman emperor, schemed to take the throne for himself. He was eventually defeated by Vitellius, with the track ...

This story appears in the January/February 2017 issue of National Geographic History magazine. The emperor Hadrian was well known for building monuments across the Roman Empire, a territory that ...