The Roman emperor Vespasian (9-79) was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which marked the shift from a narrow Roman to a broader Italian--and ultimately empirewide--participation in the leadership of the Roman Empire.

Vespasian, whose full Latin name was Titus Flavius Vespasianus, was born near the little town of Reate in the Sabine backcountry of central Italy. He and his brother were the first members of the family to reach senatorial rank. After a distinguished but by no means spectacular career, including military service on the Rhine and in Britain, Vespasian was chosen by Nero to stamp out a revolt in Judea, as much because of his lack of political significance (due to his family background) as because of his military talents. Again, in Judea he exhibited firm competence rather than dashing brilliance.

With the death of Nero (68) the imperial Julio-Claudian dynasty became extinct, and there began a...