Life, Death and Entertainment in the Roman Empire
November 29, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Skarr.
While this book is by no means an all encompassing reference book on the subject it purports to cover namely "Life, Death and Entertainment in the Roman Empire", it is perhaps a useful introduction to a student who is interested in Rome. To quote the blurb on the back, this book "gives those who have a general interest in Roman antiquity a starting point informed by the latest developments in scholarship for understanding the extraordinary range of Roman society..."
...read the full review of Life, Death and Entertainment in the Roman Empire by D.S. Potter
The Fall of the Roman Empire
November 24, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member DecimusCaesar.
The late Michael Grant was one of the greatest Roman scholars of the last century. He published several books on the ancient world on subjects as diverse as ‘The Jews of the Roman World’ to ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘The Severan Dynasty’. He brought subjects like these to the attention of the public and made ancient history accessible to all, instead of a subject discussed among a few scholars. The fall of the Roman Empire was Grant’s attempt to explain in a 200 paged book what Edward Gibbon took over a thousand pages to describe: How could a powerful Empire like Rome cease to exist...
...read the full review of The Fall of the Roman Empire by Michael Grant
The Districts of Rome
November 20, 2006
This article was brought to us by forum member FLavius Valerius Constantinus
During the time of the Republic, Rome existed on (6/7) hills [1] and was divided into four equal districts that existed within the Pomerium[2] and went in a counter-clockwise fashion. These districts simply were protected by the Servian Wall [3] and with the center probably between the Velia and Oppian Hill...
...continue with the article on Regiones Romae
Dining Posture in Ancient Rome
November 13, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Andrew Dalby.
When you’ve read this book, you’ll know exactly when Romans reclined to dine and when they didn’t.
You’ll also know a lot about Roman tomb reliefs that depict the subject enjoying a meal. There are many such; in fact it was already a typical theme for relief sculpture in ancient Babylonia, Assyria, Persia and Greece. The ones that are commemorating a dead man have a reclining man as the central figure. There will be wine and food at his elbow, there will be an attentive woman of a certain age seated on his couch (let’s agree to suppose that it’s his wife) and there will be equally attentive slaves, often attractive young male slaves with longish hair, standing in attendance or bringing more food and wine. A smaller number of these tomb reliefs are accompanied by an inscription naming a woman. These, naturally, have a woman as central figure, and she may be surrounded by children, but there won’t be any men in attendance...
...read the full review of Dining Posture in Ancient Rome by Matthew Roller
The People's Princeps, Enemy of the Senate
November 07, 2006
The People's Princeps
On October 22, AD 180 the young Princeps Commodus returned to Rome in an enormous triumphal procession. Backed by most of the Danubian legions, Commodus’ entry into the city not only confirmed his authority but ushered in new hope for an era of peace and prosperity in a city that was weary of war. The victorious legions, having secured peace along the Danube (at least temporarily, and there were still to be various issues of settlement such as the Buri in Dacia), and the youthful, energetic son of the great Marcus Aurelius were symbolic of this new hope...
The Life and Times of Constantine The Great
November 03, 2006
Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Ursus.
D.G. Kousoulas inveigles the line between history and historical fiction in his The Life and Times of Constantine The Great. Kousoulas declares in his introduction that he shall take a different approach to history: “the traditional approach to writing history and biography is to tell about what happened, rather than to describe what actually did happen, as a novelist might-in effect to tell a story. Moving away from the traditionalist approach in order ‘to tell a story’ has been my guiding principle.” The author presents a very readable, if sometimes shallow, portrait of the events and personalities surrounding the rise of the first Christian Emperor...
...read the full review of The Life and Times of Constantine The Great by D.G. Kousoulas
