ANRW is a work of international cooperation in the field of historical scholarship. Its aim is to present all important aspects of the ancient Roman world, as well as its legacy and continued influence in medieval and modern times. Subjects are dealt with in individual articles written in the light of present day research. The work is divided into three parts:

I. From the Origins of Rome to the End of the Republic
II. The Principate
III. Late Antiquity

Each part consists of six systematic sections, which occasionally overlap: 1. Political History, 2. Law, 3. Religion, 4. Language and Literature, 5. Philosophy and the Sciences, 6. The Arts.

ANRW is organized as a handbook. It is a survey of Roman Studies in the broadest sense, and includes the history of the reception and influence of the Roman Culture up to the present time. The individual contributions are, depending on the nature of the subject, either concise presentations with bibliography, problem and research reports, or representative investigations covering broad areas of subjects. Approximately fifteen hundred scholars from thirty-five nations are collaborating on this work. The articles appear in German, English, French or Italian. As a work for study and reference, AUFSTIEG UND NIEDERGANG DER RÖMISCHEN WELT is an indispensable tool for research and academic teaching in the following disciplines:

Ancient, Medieval and Modern History - Byzantine and Slavonic Studies - Classical, Medieval Latin, Romance and Oriental Philology - Classical, Oriental and Christian Archaeology and History of Art - Legal Studies - Religion and Theology, especially Church History and Patristics.