As the People's champion against a corrupt and murderous oligarchy, he began transformation of the Roman republic into a quasi-monarchy and a military and fiscal system that for four centuries provided western Europe, north Africa and the Middle East with security, prosperity and relative peace.
A narrative history of Roman Britain. From the rebellious chiefs and druids who led native British resistance, to the experiences of the Roman military leaders in this remote, dangerous outpost of Europe, it explores the reality of life in occupied Britain within the context of the shifting fortunes of the Roman Empire.
* Major survey of the history and culture of Roman Britain. * Brings together specialists to provide an overview of recent debates about this period. * Exceptionally broad coverage, embracing political, economic, cultural and religious life.
This reference provides access to the 1200 years of Roman rule from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD. The myriad topics covered include rulers; the legal and governmental system; architectural feats; and Roman religions. Each chapter includes a bibliography and site-specific photographs.
This book distils the mass of new knowledge from recent archaeological and documentary discoveries to provide a lively picture of current knowledge and opinion about the Roman era in the British Isles at this particularly exciting point in the evolution of the subject.
An international team of expert contributors provides both an introduction to and an interpretation of the key themes and developments in the history of Europe, from the earliest days of Rome through to AD 400.
Describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. Frequently giving rise to colorful digressions, this book blends fact and legend to offer a compelling Greek view of the world of the fifth century BC.
Pliny's letters provide a fascinating insight into Roman life in the period 97 to 112 AD. They document politics, social life, religion, the educational system, the treatment of slaves and include a vivid description of the eruption of Vesuvius. This is a lively and sympathetic new translation.
The Third Macedonian War ended the kingdom created by Philip II and Alexander the Great and was a crucial step in Rome's dominance of the Mediterranean. Livy's narrative is also a moral study of the individuals involved. This edition includes the Periochae, later summaries of Livy's original 142-book history.
The story of the Roman empire, from the beginnings to the crisis of the Middle Ages: why it was so large, why it was so durable, and why it was different from any other empire before or since.
Taylor takes Cicero as the focal point for examination of the last years of the Roman Republic, tracing the often dramatic and violent events from the harsh dictatorship of Sulla to Cicero's death in the massacres of Mark Antony and the 2nd Triumvirate. Evidence is taken largely from the speeches and surviving letters to his friend Atticus.
Incorporates literary, numismatic and epigraphic evidence for the history of Britain under Roman rule, as well as translations of major literary sources. This title includes the texts of Caesar's commentaries on his expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC, and relevant sections of Tacitus' biography of his father-in-law, former governor of Britain.
Placing Eusebius in the context of his age the author provides a full account his life, including the period when Eusebius controversially sought to assist the heretic Arius.
Marcus Valerius Martialis is celebrated for his droll, frequently salacious, portrayal of Roman high and low society during first century rule of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. This title provides an overview - for students of classics and ancient history, as well as comparative literature - of the chief themes of his sardonic writings.
The world known as the 'Dark Ages', often seen as a time of barbarism, was in fact the crucible in which modern Europe would be created. This book shows how this period, encompassing peoples such as Goths, Franks, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, was central to the development of our history and culture.
Chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors.
Polybius' account of Rome's rise to world power and her method of rule is a major source for the history of the years 220-146 BC. This new translation includes Books 1-5 in their entirety and all of the fragmentary Books 6 and 12 on the Roman constitution and historiography. It is accompanied by an illuminating introduction and notes.
From Village to Empire introduces ancient Rome to readers eager for a concise and engaging understanding of its political, social, and cultural history. It traces Rome's remarkable evolution from monarchy, to republic, to one-man rule by an emperor whose power stretched from Scotland to Iraq and far up the Nile valley.
The Colosseum was Imperial Rome's monument to warfare. The author tells the story of Rome's greatest arena: how it was built; the gladiatorial and other games that were held there; the training of the gladiators; the audiences who revelled in the games, and the emperors who staged them and the critics.
The ruins of the Forum in Rome, the centre of its ancient Empire, are one of the best known wonders of antiquity and a highpoint of the tourist route round the Eternal City, but the Forum remains for many visitors a baffling and unwelcoming place. This book helps us to rediscover its rich history.
An unforgettable depiction of the Roman empire at the height of its power and an elegantly sensational retelling of the lives and times of the 'twelve Caesars'.
The dominant view is that the 'fall of Rome' was a largely peaceful transition to Germanic rule, and the start of a positive cultural transformation. Encouraging the readers to think again by reclaiming the drama and violence of Rome's fall, this book examines how and why successive generations have understood this period differently.
Brings together the research and imaginative engagement to bring us as close as we can hope to get to the tumultuous centuries between the departure of the Roman legions and the arrival of Norman invaders nearly seven centuries later.
For nearly four centuries, Britain was a province on the outer edge of the Roman Empire and developed a distinctively Romano-British culture and way of life. This title offers an introduction to the history, society, culture and art of Britain when it was a province of the Roman Empire.
Shows how everyday Romans sought to survive and thrive under the afflictions of disease, war, and violence, and to control their fates under powers that both oppressed and ignored them. In this book, the author seeks out the ordinary people who formed the fabric of everyday life in ancient Rome and the outlaws and pirates who lay beyond it.
'Jones spans all 1,200 years of Roman history with seemingly unstoppable enthusiasm... Informative, casually erudite but engagingly unstuffy, he makes the classical world feel both beguiling and fresh' Sunday Times
Focusing on the legions as the core of the Roman army, and chronicling their individual histories in detail, this volume builds on the thematic account of the Roman military force given by its companion The Complete Roman Army. It is suitable for anyone who has enjoyed that book.
Contains chapters that include Street Life, Earning a Living: Baker, Banker and Garum Maker (who ran the city), and The Pleasure of the Body: Food, Wine, Sex and Baths. This book offers an insight into the workings of a Roman town.
By the time of the emperors, the Romans had created the world's first global empire. This book explores how they pursued sensual delights - from steamy bathhouses to stately country villas; the excesses of the festivals to the rich culture of music, dance and song and sex, as both unrestrained and puritanical.