20 Best Books On History Of Rome (2023 Update)

With stylistic brilliance and historical imagination, the first five books of livy's monumental history of rome record events from the foundation of rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the republic and its internal struggles, up to rome's recovery after the fierce gallic invasion of the fourth century b.c. livy vividly depicts the great characters, legends, and tales, including the story of romulus and remus. reprinting robert ogilvie's lucid 1971 introduction, this highly regarded edition now boasts a new preface, examining the text in light of recent livy scholarship, informative maps, bibliography, and an index.for more than seventy years, penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the english-speaking world. with more than 1,700 titles, penguin classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Gibbon's decline and fall of the roman empire, published between 1776 and 1788, is the undisputed masterpiece of english historical writing which can only perish with the language itself. its length alone is a measure of its monumental quality: seventy-one chapters, of which twenty-eight appear in full in this edition. with style, learning and wit, gibbon takes the reader through the history of europe from the second century ad to the fall of constantinople in 1453 – an enthralling account by 'the greatest of the historians of the enlightenment'. this edition includes gibbon's footnotes and quotations, here translated for the first time, together with brief explanatory comments, a precis of the chapters not included, 16 maps, a glossary, and a list of emperors.

An epic endeavor by a man genuinely enamored of his native rome, livy's "the history of rome" was originally written in 142 books spanning the entire history of the roman people up to livy's day in the time of augustus in the first century bc. while this roman historian's monumental undertaking took most of his life, only 35 books still survive today. livy begins with aeneas' landing on italy and the myth of romulus and remus' founding of rome. he also thoroughly covers numerous wars, such as the samnite wars, the punic wars, and the social war, as well as all of the rulers of rome, including julius caesar, nero, and augustus. though the work is a bit biased, its countless references to other sources are a testament of livy's attempt to create an accurate, understandable history of the roman kingdom, and, later, the republic. simultaneously a glorification of rome and a passionate warning to future romans, "ab urbe condita" reflects the magnificence and ignominy, the opinions and interests, and the myths and political realities of one of history's most remarkable civilizations. in this volume you will find books i-viii of livy's "histories".

In addition to valerie warrior's crisp, fluent translation of the first five books of livy's ab urbe condita, this edition features a general introduction to livy and his work, extensive foot-of-the-page notes offering essential contextual information, and a chronology of events. three appendices–on the genealogies of the most prominent political figures in the early republic, livy's relationship with augustus, and livy's treatment of religion–offer additional insight into the author and the early history of rome.

A sweeping, revisionist history of the roman empire from one of our foremost classicists.ancient rome was an imposing city even by modern standards, a sprawling imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants, a "mixture of luxury and filth, liberty and exploitation, civic pride and murderous civil war" that served as the seat of power for an empire that spanned from spain to syria. yet how did all this emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central italy? in s.p.q.r., world-renowned classicist mary beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even two thousand years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty. opening the book in 63 bce with the famous clash between the populist aristocrat catiline and cicero, the renowned politician and orator, beard animates this “terrorist conspiracy,” which was aimed at the very heart of the republic, demonstrating how this singular event would presage the struggle between democracy and autocracy that would come to define much of rome’s subsequent history. illustrating how a classical democracy yielded to a self-confident and self-critical empire, s.p.q.r. reintroduces us, though in a wholly different way, to famous and familiar characters—hannibal, julius caesar, cleopatra, augustus, and nero, among others—while expanding the historical aperture to include those overlooked in traditional histories: the women, the slaves and ex-slaves, conspirators, and those on the losing side of rome’s glorious conquests. like the best detectives, beard sifts fact from fiction, myth and propaganda from historical record, refusing either simple admiration or blanket condemnation. far from being frozen in marble, roman history, she shows, is constantly being revised and rewritten as our knowledge expands. indeed, our perceptions of ancient rome have changed dramatically over the last fifty years, and s.p.q.r., with its nuanced attention to class inequality, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, promises to shape our view of roman history for decades to come.

The sunday times and economist books of the year 2016'hugely impressive… wilson is an assured guide through the millennium-long labyrinth of papal-imperial relations' literary reviewa great, sprawling, ancient and unique entity, the holy roman empire, from its founding by charlemagne to its destruction by napoleon a millennium later, formed the heart of europe. it was a great engine for inventions and ideas, it was the origin of many modern european states, from germany to the czech republic, its relations with italy, france and poland dictated the course of countless wars – indeed european history as a whole makes no sense without it.in this strikingly ambitious book, peter h. wilson explains how the empire worked. it is not a chronological history, but an attempt to convey to readers why it was so important and how it changed over its existence. the result is a tour de force – a book that raises countless questions about the nature of political and military power, about diplomacy and the nature of european civilization and about the legacy of the empire, which has continued to haunt its offspring, from imperial and nazi germany to the european union.

During the period from rome's stone age beginnings on the tiber river to its conquest of the italian peninsula in 264 b.c., the romans in large measure developed the social, political, and military structure that would be the foundation of their spectacular imperial success. in this comprehensive and clearly written account, gary forsythe draws extensively from historical, archaeological, linguistic, epigraphic, religious, and legal evidence as he traces rome's early development within a multicultural environment of latins, sabines, etruscans, greeks, and phoenicians. his study charts the development of the classical republican institutions that would eventually enable rome to create its vast empire, and provides fascinating discussions of topics including roman prehistory, religion, and language.in addition to its value as an authoritative synthesis of current research, a critical history of early rome offers a revisionist interpretation of rome's early history through its innovative use of ancient sources. the history of this period is notoriously difficult to uncover because there are no extant written records, and because the later historiography that affords the only narrative accounts of rome's early days is shaped by the issues, conflicts, and ways of thinking of its own time. this book provides a groundbreaking examination of those surviving ancient sources in light of their underlying biases, thereby reconstructing early roman history upon a more solid evidentiary foundation.

This popular introductory text provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the key historic events, personalities, and powerful political, social, and economic forces that shaped rome's path to glory. the fourth edition of a history of rome has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the most recent scholarly research on literary sources and new interpretations of archaeological evidence. it includes expanded coverage of roman imperialism during the early phases of the empire, and more on the events of the late republic period. a variety of enhancements and improvements to this edition include two color text, new pedagogical features, and more illustrations. together, they serve to reinforce the book’s stature as an indispensable resource on the history and enduring influence of one of the world's greatest empires.

New york times bestseller the creator of the award-winning podcast series the history of rome and revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the roman republic.the roman republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. beginning as a small city-state in central italy, rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. through the centuries, rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world.in 146 bc, rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the mediterranean. but the very success of the republic proved to be its undoing. the republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the republic.chronicling the years 146-78 bc, the storm before the storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like marius, sulla, and the gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.

An epic endeavor by a man genuinely enamored of his native rome, livy's "history of rome" was originally written in 142 books spanning the entire history of the roman people up to livy's day in the time of augustus in the first century bc. of this monumental history, which took most of the livy's life to complete, only 45 books still survive today. livy begins with aeneas' landing in italy and the myth of the founding of rome by romulus. in later books livy thoroughly covers the numerous wars and rulers of rome. though the work is a bit biased, its countless references to other sources are a testament of livy's attempt to create an accurate, understandable history of the roman kingdom and later the republic. simultaneously a glorification of rome and a passionate warning to future romans, "ab urbe condita" reflects the magnificence and ignominy, the opinions and interests, and the myths and political realities of one of history's most remarkable civilizations. this edition, which is printed on a premium acid-free paper and follows the translation of d. spillan, collects the first five books of livy's history beginning with the landing of aeneas and concluding with the conquest of the gauls.

The death of the roman empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. now, in this groundbreaking book, peter heather proposes a stunning new solution: centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an empire that had dominated their lives for so long. a leading authority on the late roman empire and on the barbarians, heather relates the extraordinary story of how europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart. he shows first how the huns overturned the existing strategic balance of power on rome's european frontiers, to force the goths and others to seek refuge inside the empire. this prompted two generations of struggle, during which new barbarian coalitions, formed in response to roman hostility, brought the roman west to its knees. the goths first destroyed a roman army at the battle of hadrianople in 378, and went on to sack rome in 410. the vandals spread devastation in gaul and spain, before conquering north africa, the breadbasket of the western empire, in 439. peter heather convincingly argues that the roman empire was not on the brink of social or moral collapse. what brought it to an end were the barbarians.

A lively and engaging narrative history showing the common threads in the cultures that gave birth to our own.this is the first volume in a bold series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from europe to the middle east to the far coast of china, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. susan wise bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. dozens of maps provide a clear geography of great events, while timelines give the reader an ongoing sense of the passage of years and cultural interconnection. this old-fashioned narrative history employs the methods of “history from beneath”—literature, epic traditions, private letters and accounts—to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.

The history of rome is a monumental history of ancient rome. the first ten books cover the legendary founding of rome, including the landing of aeneas in italy and the founding of the city by romulus. this is followed by the period of the kings, the early republic and its conquest by the gauls in 390 bc, as well as the wars with the aequi, volsci, etruscans, and samnites, down to 292 bc.the history of rome originally comprised 142 "books," thirty-five of which still exist in reasonably complete form today. because livy was writing under the reign of augustus, livy's history emphasizes the great triumphs of rome. he wrote his history with embellished accounts of roman heroism in order to promote the new type of government implemented by augustus when he became emperor.this case laminate collector's edition includes a victorian inspired dust-jacket.

A comprehensive and radical new survey of religious life in rome over the course of a millennium. this book offers a radical new survey of more than a thousand years of religious life in rome, from the foundation of the city to its rise to world empire and its conversion to christianity. it sets religion in its full cultural context, between the primitive hamlet of the eighth century bc and the cosmopolitan, multicultural society of the first centuries of the christian era.

The second edition of a history of the later roman empire features many revisions and updates to the highly-acclaimed, sweeping historical survey of the struggles, triumphs and disasters of the roman empire during the period from the accession of the emperor diocletian in ad 284 to the death of heraclius in 641. author stephen mitchell reveals the massive political and military transformations in rome’s western and eastern empires that led to its decline and gave way to the emergence of medieval and modern europe and the islamic world. major episodes in rome’s social and political history are discussed in a series of narrative and thematic chapters, and include the christian conversion of constantine, the establishment of a christian empire in constantinople and justinian’s attempt in the 6th-century to restore the greatness of the roman empire. individual chapters address topics including the nature of the late roman state, the emergence and character of the western barbarian kingdoms, the epochal religious changes of late antiquity, and systematic discussions of rome’s economy and society. the concluding sections of the book, including an entirely new chapter, provide a detailed analysis of the complex reasons for rome’s decline and eventual fall,—including the catastrophic world-wide outbreak of bubonic plague in 542, the failure of the state to maintain its tax revenues, the 7th-century eclipse of roman power after a final war with the rival persian empire of the sassanians, and the emergent influence of islam in the arab world. grounded in the latest scholarship, the second edition of a history of the later roman empire confirms its reputation as the best single-volume overview of the politics, institutions, and military affairs that shaped the decline of one of history’s greatest empires.

Discover the rich history and culture of some of the world¿s most influential historical places with these highly illustrated books, packed with informative and enlightening descriptions and information

Discover the rich history and culture of some of the world¿s most influential historical places with these highly illustrated books, packed with informative and enlightening descriptions and information

The complete history of every imperial roman legion and what it achieved as a fighting force, by an award-winning historianin this landmark publication, stephen dando-collins does what no other author has ever attempted to do: provide a complete history of every imperial roman legion. based on thirty years of meticulous research, he covers every legion of rome in rich detail. in the first part of the book, the author provides a detailed account of what the legionaries wore and ate, what camp life was like, what they were paid, and how they were motivated and punished. part two examines the histories of all the legions that served rome for three hundred years starting in 30 bc. the book's final section is a sweeping chronological survey of the campaigns in which the armies were involved, told from the point of view of the legions. featuring more than 150 maps, photographs, diagrams and battle plans, legions of rome is an essential read for ancient history enthusiasts, military history experts and general readers alike.

The complete history of every imperial roman legion and what it achieved as a fighting force, by an award-winning historianin this landmark publication, stephen dando-collins does what no other author has ever attempted to do: provide a complete history of every imperial roman legion. based on thirty years of meticulous research, he covers every legion of rome in rich detail. in the first part of the book, the author provides a detailed account of what the legionaries wore and ate, what camp life was like, what they were paid, and how they were motivated and punished. part two examines the histories of all the legions that served rome for three hundred years starting in 30 bc. the book's final section is a sweeping chronological survey of the campaigns in which the armies were involved, told from the point of view of the legions. featuring more than 150 maps, photographs, diagrams and battle plans, legions of rome is an essential read for ancient history enthusiasts, military history experts and general readers alike.

With stylistic brilliance and historical imagination, the first five books of livy's monumental history of rome record events from the foundation of rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the republic and its internal struggles, up to rome's recovery after the fierce gallic invasion of the fourth century b.c. livy vividly depicts the great characters, legends, and tales, including the story of romulus and remus. reprinting robert ogilvie's lucid 1971 introduction, this highly regarded edition now boasts a new preface, examining the text in light of recent livy scholarship, informative maps, bibliography, and an index. for more than seventy years, penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the english-speaking world. with more than 1,700 titles, penguin classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.