Rome's Achilles' was decorated 170 times, scarred with forty-five wounds - all on the front of his body - fought as a champion in single combat to the death, saving the day for Rome on many occasions, and took part in 120 battles over forty years. His name: Lucius Siccius Dentatus - 'Born with teeth'.

As the author of this exciting insight into the struggles of Republican Rome observes, 'Lucius Siccius, when called upon to do so, was literally a fighting and killing machine, an enigma of warfare, a man who must have had a constitution of iron and who was probably completely lacking in conscience.'

Hero or psychopath? Spokesman for the downtrodden, or political volcano? This excellent historical study reveals how one man's fighting prowess helped give Rome supremacy in Latium, and explores the significance of military decorations in Ancient Rome and in our own times.