UNRV Ancient Roman Empire History

Paganism came to an end in Rome during the early fifth century AD. The question is whether Rome’s last pagans went out with a bang or a whimper. This book, by one of the foremost scholars of late antiquity, is a closely argued thesis in favour of the ‘out with a whimper’ school of thought. [...]

This volume is edited by Erdkamp and forms part of the Blackwell Companion to the Ancient World series. In his introduction Erdkamp states the underlying principals of this book that; the Roman army as well as being affected by changes in Roman society was itself the instrument of change in the politics, government, economy and [...]

Aspects of Roman History: 82 BC – AD 14 is an excellent primer to the study of the late Roman Republic. It offers a traditional political and military narrative of key Roman statesmen from the rise of Marius to the ascension of Tiberius. A brief summary of Roman society and culture rounds out the historical [...]

In “Hellenistic and Roman Naval Wars 336BC-31BC” author J.D. Grainger attempts to draw an overall view of naval warfare in a period going from Alexander`s campaigns to Actium. Of course such huge undertaking could be done in many ways and the size of the book, some two hundred pages, meant that some events could not [...]

Book Review by Russel Whitfield Philip Matyszak is best known for his meticulously researched and scholarly works such as Roman conquests: Macedonia and Greece and Mithridates the Great. However, Matyszak has the rare talent of making the academic easily digestible for a mass-market (take Rome on Five Denarii a Day). In his latest work he [...]

Adrian Goldsworthy is a British historian and military writer. Goldsworthy went to college in Westbourne School, Penarth. Later, after studying ancient and modern history at St John’s College, Oxford, he completed a D.Phil in ancient military history from Oxford University. Goldsworthy is the author of such works as The Complete Roman Army, In The Name [...]

This book is published as part of the Classical World Series by Bloomsbury Classic which is, as mentioned on the back cover, designed specifically for students and teachers of Classical Civilisation at late school and early university level. Hazel Dodge is a lecturer at Trinity College in Dublin and has already written several articles dealing [...]

The World of the Celts by Simon James is a wonderful introduction to Celtic history and culture. The work is well written and richly illustrated. Perhaps best of all, it provides a balanced view point and avoids any grandiose exaggeration of the Celts and their place in history. Simon lets the evidence speak for itself; [...]

In Questioning reputations: essays on nine republican politicians (2003) we find a book whose main goal is to invite us to re-evaluate what we know of nine iconic personalities of the first century B.C., three of them major actors of the period and six of them, analyzed in pairs, being considered as minor personages in [...]

Lindsay Powell conducted for us the following interview with Mathew Dennison author of the recently reviewed book, Livia, Empress of Rome: A Biography UNRV: Thanks for giving us this interview. First, congratulations on your book, Livia, Empress of Rome. Your first biography was an account of the life of Queen Victoria`s ninth and last child, [...]

A scientist will tell you that there is always change. A philosopher will say that nothing ever changes. North Africa feels as if it has both properties at the same time, a region apart from the continent it belongs to, almost like an island, a unique environment that persists in arid stasis and hosts mighty [...]

Who can forget Livia, the scheming villainess of BBC TV/PBS Masterpiece Theater`s I, Claudius? Based on Robert Graves`bestselling novels I, Claudius and Claudius the God, Jack Pullman interpreted the author`s pastiche of Tacitus and Suetonius into entertaining television for a modern audience. Produced in 1976, remarkably, its influence still haunts students of the history of [...]

You would perhaps expect the Parthenon, towering over the city from the top of its cliff, to be the first thing you notice when you get up from the Athenian metro station called Acropolis. But it probably isn’t. I am willing to bet almost anything that your eyes will fall on the (New) Acropolis Museum [...]