Imperium by Robert Harris
September 29, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section.
Following up on “Pompeii”, his remarkable first novel in an ancient setting, veteran historical fiction author Robert Harris has produced another engaging and rousing recreation of the Roman world. Unlike Pompeii, which included such true historical characters as Pliny the Elder as a supportive cast, “Imperium” is based almost entirely on real historic events and people...
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Chronicle Of The Roman Republic by Philip Matyszak
September 24, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member M. Porcius Cato.
The history of the Roman republic - a story about how one city in Italy overthrew a monarchy, conquered her neighbors, united Italy, defeated all her rivals in the Mediterranean, and descended into civil war and ultimately monarchy again - presents a formidable challenge to any beginner. The republic itself was a political entity so complex it bewildered foreigners and Romans alike. Its magistrates--a dazzling succession of consuls, suffect consuls, dictators, praetors, aediles, tribunes and special commissioners stretching over nearly 500 years--were too numerous for even the Romans (who were otherwise quite happy to list these sorts of things) to bother recording them all...
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Experiencing Rome by J. Huskinson
September 20, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Ursus.
The bent of academic studies in recent times seems to focus on relationships of power between various agents. It is given that there are certain identity groups within a culture. How these groups create their identity, and how they relate to other identity groups within their culture, is fodder for ongoing societal analysis. At its most extreme, this manner of inquiry sometimes construes culture as an artifice that imprisons certain identity groups for the exploitation of others. More moderate tones instead simply offer commentary on the dynamic among various groups, be it antagonistic or otherwise. What "Experiencing Rome" attempts to do is offer an objective dialogue on how various groups in the Roman Empire came to cultural terms with the power of the imperium...
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The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox
September 16, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Pertinax.
This book provides an excellent “world map” for the period that we favour in this Forum. It is one of the best contextual frameworks I have ever seen for the relationship between Greek and Roman cultures and their individual evolutionary traits.. Its historical breadth is enormous , but the depth of scholarship on show is staggering . Fox trips nimbly over tricky onceptual problems and complicated historical metamorphoses with alacrity. The basic tenents of the work are themes of justice, wealth and luxury as crucial factors in the determination of cultural identity and dynamics...
...read the full review of The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox
Decline of the Roman Empire
September 13, 2006
Decline of the Roman Empire
With the death of Marcus Aurelius in AD 180, rule of the empire passed to his 20 year old son Lucius Aurelius Commodus. Much like the reign of Gaius Caesar (Caligula) a century and a half earlier, the accession of Commodus was initially met with general approval. Continuing the parallel, initial acceptance was eventually met with dismay and hostility as the young emperor engaged in various forms of debauchery and ego-maniacal behavior...
Struggle for the Mediterranean by Nigel Bagnal
September 10, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Cohort.
Nigel Bagnal packs a lot into 335 pages , painting a picture with a firm grasp of the essentials and avoiding extraneous clutter, (though some may disagree on what constitutes clutter in contrast to essential detail), Personally I see clutter as a tedious description of every god, edict and maneuver that creates and shapes a nation or describes its inner workings...
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Rome Series DVD Review
September 06, 2006
Thanks to community member Ursus we have now a review of the recently released DVD "Rome".
Hollywood was never particularly kind to Ancient Rome. A generation or two ago, it was depicted as the tyrannical Evil Empire whose amoral paganism provided the antagonistic foil to Judeo-Christian values. In contemporary times Hollywood has abandoned any moral pretense and instead inflicts soulless hype such as “Gladiator” upon its audience. O tempora! O mores! Where can one find an intelligent and objective assessment of Rome? Perhaps the HBO-BBC production of “Rome” is not a total panacea to the Romanophile’s quest for cinematic excellence, but it nonetheless strikes closer to the mark than anything else...
......read the full review of the Rome Series on DVD
Rediscovering Homer by Andrew Dalby
September 03, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Pantagathus.
I am one of those people who secretly thinks that every epic adventure that has been penned since the Odyssey is just second rate literary counterfeiting. I first read both the Iliad and the Odyssey outside an academic environment and most of the commentary I’ve read since those first readings has usually been by other ancient writers...
...read the full review of Rediscovering Homer by Andrew Dalby
