Jan H. Blits' The Heart of Rome: Ancient Rome's Political Culture examines the political activities and institutions of pre-Imperial Rome in conjunction with the habits of the hearts and the minds of the Romans. Blits emphasizes treating the writings of ancient historians of Rome as works of thoughtful reflection rather than as works of technical research.

Foreword
1. Rome and the Sea
2. Hannibal and Roman Blunders
3. The Power of Spectacle
4. Roman Memory and Time
5. Public Life, Private Virtue: The Roman Censorship
6. The Decay of Politics and the Growth of Philosophy
7. Endemic Monarchism and Emergent Caesarism

Appendix 1; Who's Who
Appendix 2: Timeline of Events