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Greetings fellow citizens!
A question for the Group Mind:
What would be the best, or at least good, book on the history of Rome in general?
Or...
If this has been answered here before if you could direct me to the correct topic -- I did not see one dealing with this and so started one anew.
Thanks. :wink:
Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
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Yes, I was being a bit "broad" with that question.
In fact a co-worker asked me for a good general reference book on Rome which caught me off guard. I have read quite a few good books dealing with the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Principate, what some authors have called the "Roman Revolution" however in terms of a good general history I did not have a title at me finger tips, so to speak.
I am familiar with Starr, and of course Grant's book is a good basic text, but several others have been published in the past few years and I wonder if they are any better than these old masters.
Basically I am looking for a title to recommend to a general reader who has an interest in Ancient Rome, and for a title that would appeal to a student of the period, for I realize that I too need a good solid general history for my library.
Thanks again.
Narukami
David Reinke
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Routledge's series on Roman history with [amazon]Cornell, Beginnings of Rome[/amazon] and [amazon]Potter, The Roman Empire at Bay[/amazon] are very good. [amazon]Goodman, The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180[/amazon], also in that series, is strongly thematic and perhaps not as good. There is as yet no book in the series for the period 264-44BC.
[amazon]Scullard, From the Gracchi to Nero[/amazon] is older, but good and very readable.
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My favorite general history of Rome is William Sinnigen's and Arthur Boak's A History of Rome to AD 565. Very detailed and readable it is unmatched as a general history. Military, economic, political, and religious events and their significance to Rome are discussed. It is a veritable encyclopedia dedicated to Roman history. 557 pages it includes maps of the empire at various historical points as well as a few pictures of Rome's most iconic buildings and monuments. The hardback can be quite hard to find and is pricey but paperback versions are reasonably priced and an e-version is also available.
Another handier history is J.P.V.D. Balsdon's Rome: The Story of an Empire. It was the textbook for my very first college course on Roman history it starts with the Republic around 241 BC to the fall of the western empire. 256 pages, less detailed, it is a very good overview of the significant events in the history of Rome. It's small size makes it a favorite to carry during my business travels. This seems to be harder to find but is listed on Amazon (as is the previous book).
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From the beginnings to the end of the Republic I will recommend Anthony Everitt The Rise of Rome: The making of the World's Greatest Empire
You could follow that up with his "Cicero" and "Augustus".
EDIT: Wow! I just replied to a 7 year old thread 8)
"The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones"
Antony
