Book excerpt: In this highly-illustrated book, Mary T. Boatwright examines five of the peoples incorporated into the Roman world from the Republican through the Imperial periods: northerners, Greeks, Egyptians, Jews, and Christians. She explores over time the tension between assimilation and distinctiveness in the Roman world, as well as the changes effected in Rome by its multicultural nature. Underlining the fundamental importance of diversity in Rome's self-identity, the book explores Roman tolerance of difference and community as the Romans expanded and consolidated their power and incorporated other peoples into their empire. The Peoples of the Roman World provides an accessible account of Rome's social, cultural, religious, and political history, exploring the rich literary, documentary, and visual evidence for these peoples and Rome's reactions to them.