FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => Classical Numismatics Books and References Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Jay GT4 on December 25, 2007, 04:32:31 pm
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Thought it would be good to have a thread where we can recommend books and Documentary series. I hate buying a book or DVD and finding it out of date or boring or just painful to read.
Here are a few that I've found particularly interesting and informative:
"Augustus" by Anthony Everitt is fantastic. A joy to read. His conclusions are reasonable and well thought out.
"Cicero" by Anthony Everitt is just as good as Augustus. I've read it twice.
"Rome and Jerusalem" by Martin Goodman gives great info on what led up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the ramifications from that event on Christianity and world history. Very good read.
I will warn everyone about the "new" DVD called "Legions of Rome" it is supposedly a new DVD from 2007. I bought it only to find it was actually made in the early 80's but put on DVD in 2007. It was simplistic and featured state of the art (for 1980) computer graphics. I returned it and to my surprise got a full refund.
I can recommend the PBS series "Secrets of the Dead" especially the one entitled "Headless Romans" very well done. I'm trying to find a copy for myself.
Those are just a few. What about you guys? Any suggestions?
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One of the best fictional accounts of Flavian Rome I've read is 'Domitia and Domitian' by David Corson. Endorsed by no less than the eminent Flavian historian Brian Jones, the book creates a plausible account of Domitian's reign and goes a long way to explain his tyrannical behavior.
When I get more time, I will list a few more books that have greatly enhanced my understanding of ancient Rome.
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I will definately look for that book! Thanks! I know you love the Flavian era so you will enjoy the above mentioned book "Rome and Jerusalem"
I'm about half way through "Pompeii: the Living City" by Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence. It combines historical facts in the context of a fictional narration. Half the book is in italics (fictional) the rest tells why they can speculate that is what happened through inscriptions, scrolls and other historical facts. Very interesting read.
On a side note I'm also reading "Wonderful Tonight...George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me" by Pattie Boyd. I'm on the first chapter and I'm already fascinated...she hasn't even gotten to the good stuff yet! :) and I just finished "John" by Cynthia Lennon, that really changed my view of Lennon, just when I was starting to like Yoko! :)
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I haven’t read too many fictional accounts of ancient Rome so I can’t really add much there, except to say that Robert Graves’s I Claudius and Claudius the God are excellent – truly classics – and the novels of Steven Saylor are most enjoyable and seem to be well researched for overall accuracy. Also, there is Lord Lytton’s 19th century classic (still widely available) The Last Days of Pompeii, which influenced my interest in Roman history as a youth, though it is a true Victorian novel and is filled with much hyperbole.
On non-fiction works I am better qualified to comment, having read so many. For general works on Rome, among the most useful (in my opinion) are as follows:
Philip Matyszak’s Chronicle of the Roman Republic (Thames & Hudson, 2003),
Chris Scarre’s Chronicle of the Roman Emperors (Thames & Hudson, 2004),
Mary T. Boatwright, Daniel J. Gargola, and J. A. Talbert: The Romans: From Village to Empire (Oxford, 2004),
Lesley and Ray Adkins: Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome (Oxford, 1998),
And, for a fun book with a good deal of useful information, there is Philip Matyszak’s recent Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day (Thames & Hudson, 2007).
Of histories of Rome perhaps the most famous (and one of the very best) is Edward Gibbons’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (published in multiple volumes between 1776 and 1788). There are many editions available of this work, some better than others. The problem here is that most editions presently in print are abridgements. The original is very long but well worth reading in its entirety as the abridgements all leave out a great deal of important material (in some cases the original work has been reduced by as much as two-thirds).
A favorite of mine is the Loeb Classical Library series, which pairs ancient texts in their original language with modern English translations of the same. The series is huge and contains both Greek and Roman works. My personal favorite books of the series are those of the four volume set Remains of Old Latin, translated by E. H. Warmington (originally published 1940 and still in print by Harvard University Press). Of these, volume IV is particularly interesting, having as it does a very fine section on Republican coinage (indeed, among the best treatments of the subject I have read).
Will Durant’s 1944 Caesar and Christ is a fine one-volume treatment of Roman history as well. It is part of the “Story of Civilization” series (volume 3, in fact) but stands alone. It remains in print today and is widely available.
Less widely available but extremely good is Basil Kennet’s Antiquities of Rome, often known simply as Kennet’s Rome, first published in London in two volumes in 1713 but continuously published (often in a single volume edition) for the next 150 years. Well worth it if you can track one down.
In my personal opinion, however, the definitive history of Ancient Rome is without question the 16 volume (actually 8 volumes, each volume being split into two books) monumental work by Victor DuRuy entitled History of Rome, first published in French around 1880 and published in English in 1884. This is an amazing work and, although considered “popular” in its day, far outstrips most later “scholarly” works in terms of academic quality. It also has copious illustrations, including many of coins.
Then there are the many books on specific areas of Roman history and culture (i.e. literature, poetry, the army and military campaigns, law, architecture, the early Church, etc., etc., etc…). I’ve found I can’t go wrong with anything written by Michael Grant, John R. Clarke, Anthony Everitt, or Edith Hamilton.
And, of course, let us not forget the writings of those who were there! Much Roman history and literature written by Romans themselves has come down to us. There are the books of Livy, Tacitus, Suetonius, Plutarch (who was Greek but writes about the lives of both Greeks and Romans), the two Plinys, Cicero, Julius Caesar himself, and many others...
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Robert Grant's 'Augustus to Constantine' is still well worth reading (it was published in 1970) if you're interested in religion at all. It's a scholarly, but readable, account of the history of the early church within the empire, and gives as gives a picture as you'll get of the shifting relationships between church and state. Just what's needed for debunking the old stereotype of bloodthirsty pagans throwing every Christian in sight to the nearest lion!
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"Paul, a Herald of the Cross" by Florence M. Kingsley - This particular account of Paul's life is a fictionalized tale based upon Acts and the epistles, and follows Paul from the Damascus Road to his life's end in captivity in Rome. What is valuable about the book, fiction though it is, can be found in the historical, political and religious setting that Kingsley brings to life. Ms. Kingsley's research and grasp of the times is colorfully vivid, in fact, the first half of the book barely touches on Paul himself. Instead, Kingsley lays before the reader the world of the eastern Roman empire. Providing a fictionalized account of the Herodians, the imperial courts of Tiberius through Nero, governors, high priests and sects, slaves and beggars, shysters and charlatans, Kingsely paints a picture of how the empire looked, smelled, and sounded. The pomp of the court, the sycophantic courtiers, the horror of pagan rites - all displayed with literary skill one would expect of a book written in 1896 or so (I don't recall the exact date). Its a good read and leaves one with a tangible sense of the setting. It can be purchased from antiquarian book sellers for less than $15 usually.
When Jerusalem Burned by Gerard Israel, 1973, non-fiction. This is an account of the Vespasian/Titus lead destruction of Jerusalem, also from a Christian partial-preterist perspective. If you ever needed a little help getting through Josephus, (the book relies heavily on Josephus' "Jewish Wars" and other histories). What terrible tribulation was felt in that city, and how sad that few people even know about AD 70.
"Into the Antiquities Trade" by Kevin R. Cheek. Non-fiction. This one was recommended by ensible on his blog, I read it, loved it. Its a fascinating peek into the trade, and takes the reader on journeys to dangerous places like Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation. I can tell you that had I read this book in my early 20s, I'd be in a different line of work or dead trying. ;)
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If anyone hasn't read Peter Green's Alexander to Actium, Berkeley, 1990, it really is wonderful. It doesn't have to be read before Augustus to Constantine, it's just a wonderful book. Pat L.
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I want to recommend two books:
Sulla by Karl Christ, and
Tiberius by Zvi Yavetz
Both books have as subject enigmatic characters which sometimes are represented as monsters. But if you have read these books you came to another view onto these complex personalities.
Best regards
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Great additions everyone. I'll recommend another...
MARK ANTONYS HEROES: How the 3rd Gallica Legion Saved an Apostle and Created an Emperor by Stephen Dando-Collins
It's a great reference to see how Caesar's legions were conscripted, when they were taken over and when and where they retired. You follow the 3rd Gallica as they move around from Gaul to Italy to Judea and Syria. The first half is almost a biography on Mark Antony. The middle (where I am now) is a reference to the Bible book of Acts with Paul being the major player. I'm finding it a good read even if I don"t agree with all of the authors conclusions.
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As promised, here is a list of a few books I have found highly valuable:
From Tiberius to the Antonines by Albino Garzetti Good general introduction to the period.
Agricola and Roman Britain A. R. Burn Excellent narrative of Agricola and his times.
Agricola and the Conquest of the North W. S. Hanson Agricola in a more archaeological context.
Roman Britain Peter Salway A must read for understanding Roman Britain.
Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire M. Rostovtzeff An eye opening treatment of the subject from a socialist stance.
Vesuvius A.D. 79 E. De Carolis and G. Patricelli A wonderful account of Pompeii's last day.
Flavius Josephus M. Hadas-Lebel An excellent narrative account of Josephus' life.
The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World Talbert A beautifully well done atlas.
Jesus An Historian's Review of the Gospels M. Grant One of the best books about the historical Jesus.
Romans and Barbarians Derek Williams Contains the best account of the Varian disaster I've yet read.
The Emperor Titus B. W. Jones A must have for the Flavian expert.
Vespasian B. Levick Good account of Vespasian's life and Career.
Suetonius: The Flavian Emperors A commentary Jones & Milns Excellent translation with detailed commentary.
Empire of Pleasures Andrew Dalby If you ever wanted to know about Roman luxury items, this is the book. Highly recommended.
Apocalypse The Great Jewish Revolt Against Rome Neil Faulkner Excellent, detailed treatment of the subject.
More later...
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Vespasian70 u mentioned 'Domitia and Domitian' by David Corson. His sequal 'Trajan and Plotina' is out, I've read good things.
Right now I'm re-reading The Fall of the Roman Empire by Michael Grant. I needed to brush up on my late empire stuff.
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Vespasian70 u mentioned 'Domitia and Domitian' by David Corson. His sequal 'Trajan and Plotina' is out, I've read good things.
I also have Trajan and Plotina sitting on the bookshelf, but I haven't picked it up yet. It would be interesting to see how Corson treats their marriage.
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Thought I'd bring this back to the top.
Started reading Cassius Dio's history of Augustus. I'm reading the Penguin Classics translation that starts with Actium and Mark Antony and Cleopatra's defeat. Not as fast paced or gossipy as Suetonius but a good read none the less.
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I really enjoyed Rubicon by Tom Holland which I can highly recommend so I just began another of his books Persian Fire
I'm in the first chapter but it's already captivated me. He has a way of finding a plausible truth between folk lore and what could have really happened. In a nut shell it covers the 5th century BC and the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire under Cyrus
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A few more:
The Roman Conquest of Scotland J. Fraser A new narrative about the battle of Mons Graupius.
Tacitus R. Syme An excellent study of Tacitus and his times.
Nero M. Griffin THE biography of Nero.
Beloved and God R. Lambert Very good telling and explaination of the Hadrian/Antinous affair.
The Roman Imperial Army G. Webster A fundamental book about the Roman Imperial Army by the esteemed British scholar Graham Webster.
Rome and Jerusalem M. Goodman Goes some distance to explain why these two great ancient cities were at odds.
Travel in the Ancient World L. Casson If you ever wanted to know what a sea journey was like in ancient times...
A new Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome L. Richardson Looking for information about a long lost Temple or domus? This book will have it and then some.
The Bible as History W. Keller Fundamental book about the historical aspects of the bible.
Roman Coins H. Mattingly Wonderful overview of Roman coins from a world expert.
The Roman Imperial Coinage Volume II part 1 I. Carradice, T. Buttrey An essential catalog of Imperial Flavian Coinage. The introductions are priceless.
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Restorer of the World: The Roman Emperor Aurelian, by John F White. Decent coverage of Aurelian's reign, with inadequate sources filled out with an assessmant of the period as a whole.
Nero, Edward Champlin. Concentrates on Nero as a performer. A very interesting assessment of the man!
An Imperial Possession: Britain in the Roman Empire, David Mattingly. I've only just started this one, but it's a really solid piece of work.
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Here's three books that fall under the headings: academic text, biography and historical fiction:
The Pursuit of History, by John Tosh (Fourth Edition, Pearson/Longman, 2006)--first published in 1984; it is amazing.
Caesar, Christian Meier (Fontana Press, 1996)--first published in 1982 in German; this is a keeper.
Imperium, Robert Harris (Pocket Books, 2006)--this book about Cicero is the epitome (IMO) of historical fiction. :)
--Jim
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Jim,
Caesar against the Celts by Ramon L. Jimenez is an awesome book about J. as well.
A very good narrative account of the first Roman invasion of Britain is worth the price of the book.
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I would recommend "Religions of Rome: Volume 1, A History" by Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price. Published by Cambridge University Press in 1998, reprinted at least 3 times (I have a 2002 reprint). This book is stuffed full of information that is important in understanding a large part of the basis of life in Republican and early Imperial Rome, not to mention a full understanding of what you can see on the coinage. I also intend to get hold of Volume II, a sourcebook, which should be good.
As a companion, perhaps "Religion in the Ancient Greek City" by Louise Bruit Zaidman and Pauline Schmitt Pantel, translated by Paul Cartledge, published by Cambridge University Press in 1992; I have a 1995 reprint. This taught me what the ancient Greeks meant by religion, and the place it held in their lives.
I am not at all religious, and these were as much fun to read as any far-out fantasy, with the added frisson that people really thought this way!
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Speaking of Mary Beard, has anyone read her new book The Roman Triumph?
If it's anything like her Colosseum book it should be a good read.
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This one is more related to (early) Christainity in the eastern Mediterranean, but I'd like to recommend -
William Dalrymple
From the Holy Mountain - A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium
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I have a couple books on the way, wondering if anyone has read them, Lives of the Later Caesars: The First Part of the Augustan History, by Anthony Birley(translator) and Constantine the great: The man and his times by Grant, Michael. I know that Grant book is sighted frequently about Constantine so i thought i should pick it up.
I got them for a good price on amazon, but there's a couple more items I'd really like to pick up like Vespasian by Levick, and the books Anthony Birley did on Hadrian and Severus. anyone read these?
And for a good book I havent gotten too far into yet but am enjoying: Carausius and Allectus: The British Usurpers by Casey.
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Casey is good; I don't know the others. Another one you could try is John White, 'Restorer of the World: the Roman Emperor Aurelian'.
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(...)
And for a good book I havent gotten too far into yet but am enjoying: Carausius and Allectus: The British Usurpers by Casey.
I have just finished that book, and I agree it is a good read, full of information, even down to summarising the fantastic fiction about these two and how they were presented by writers of different times.
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Can anyone recommend a good biography of Mark Antony? Seems to be very little modern references on him...
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Blood of the Caesars-How the murder of Germanicus led to the fall of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins
I can't put this book down! It's very fast paced and goes through all of the suspects from Tiberius, Livia, Sejanus and Piso and then offers up a new suspect. It shows how the family tree of Antony and specifically his grandson Germanicus were systematically wiped out! He is also the author of the previously mention book "Mark Antony's Hero's" which I also recommend.
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Started a new book Pontius Pilate by Ann Wroe
So far so good. Since there is so little known about Pilate the author has very little historical references to go on. She relates many of the traditions about him, from the early church to the Victorian and modern times and gives the plausable truth about him. I'm only on the first chapter but it has me hooked.
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"Augustus" by Anthony Everitt is fantastic. A joy to read. His conclusions are reasonable and well thought out.
"Cicero" by Anthony Everitt is just as good as Augustus. I've read it twice.
I cannot agree more! I Just finished Augustus and found it to be an engrossing read with a wonderful, sweeping narrative.
Cicero is next on my list.
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They're both good. I just read An Imperial Possession: Britain in the Roman Empire' by David Mattingly. it's full of detail, covering all aspects of the the province under occupation, and giving a (hopefully) realistic picture of the Britons themselves. The material on Scotland and Ireland is interesting, bringing out just how far Roman influence penetrated beyond the borders of the empire.
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Blood of the Caesars-How the murder of Germanicus led to the fall of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins
I can't put this book down! It's very fast paced and goes through all of the suspects from Tiberius, Livia, Sejanus and Piso and then offers up a new suspect. It shows how the family tree of Antony and specifically his grandson Germanicus were systematically wiped out! He is also the author of the previously mention book "Mark Antony's Hero's" which I also recommend.
Well after finishing this book I'm not sure if I'm buying the theory. It was excellent right up until he reveals who he thought killed Germanicus. Are you ready for it..........?
Seneca!?!?!? ???
While it is possible I'm not sure it was likely. Still a good read and lots of background info on all the key players. I'll still recommend it. :laugh:
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Michael Grant is a well known author, here, on our Boards. I am re-reading his, The Ancient Mediterranean. If you don't know his work, he is not only a noted historian and numismatic scholar--he is quite a good writer.
Jim
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Michael Grant was one of the last centuries best popularizers of ancient history, and I believe he does deserve a few mentions here as well.
The following is a list of his books I have found immensely enjoyable.
Nero
Cities of Vesuvius
A Guide to the Ancient World
History of Rome
The Roman Emperors
Jesus: An Historian's View of the Gospels
The Twelve Caesars
The Army of the Caesars
Gladiators
Eros in Pompeii
Roman Imperial Money
His translation of Tacitus' The Annals of Imperial Rome is very readable.
The first books I ever read about ancient Rome (at 13 yrs old) was Robert Grave's translation of The Twelve Caesars edited by Michael Grant. This illustrated edition is by far one of the more literate translations of the work.
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Grant also wrote an excellent biography of Constantine: Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times.
edit: upon re-reading the entire thread I see that Roma mentioned this book on the previous page also. Well, doesn't hurt to mention it twice, I guess!
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I just purchased "Justinian's Flea" by William Rosen. I'll be reading this on the plane to Italy next week. So far I read the Introduction and I think it will be good. I'll let you know how it ends up...
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The Greeks Overseas: Their Early Colonies and Trade, Fourth Edition, by John Boardman. Informative without being dry, and well illustrated, some coins. Especially recommended for anyone who collects Greek coins and would like to know how the Greeks got to all those places!
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Finished Justinian's Flea great book. Really highlights the history and politics behind the Eastern and Western Empire and the relation between "Rome" and Parthia, China and even Islam. A few chapters were a bit of a tough read (the ones on how the plague genetically works) but it was still a fascinating and well written book. I would recommend it highly even if like me you're not into the Byzantine era.
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For some background reading, I recommend "Great Cities of the Ancient World" by L. Sprague de Camp. The author was a very knowledgeable amateur historian and wrote many other books, both fiction and non-. This book is dated 1972, but seems to be readily and cheaply available from Amazon.
The book is very readable. It covers the history of Thebes, Jerusalem, Nineveh, Tyre, Babylon, Memphis, Athens, Syracuse, Carthage, Alexandria, Anurâdhapura, Rome, Pâtaliputra, and Constantinople. Not in huge detail, obviously, given the size of the subject! There are many photographs, most taken by the author on his travels, and he gives first-hand information to counterpoint the historical accounts. The more you read, the more you see how the histories of the cities and the civilisations they supported are intertwined. Many of these cities produced interesting coinage, and though the coins themselves are not covered here, their existence is, because of the impact of the development of money on the fates of cities such as Tyre.
If you are already a historian, you will find this too shallow. If not, you should enjoy it and get a better feel for the societies that produced all those coins.
(I would also recommend "The Ancient Engineers" by the same author, come to think of it.)
Bill
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I finally bought "Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a day" What a great book! I feel like I'm an ancient tourist planning a trip. Lots of fun and very informative.
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Well, I suppose I'll throw my hat into the ring here with a few suggestions. As far as historical fiction goes, I've always enjoyed Mary Renault's books, especially those about Alexander and Theseus, though The Mask of Apollo is my favorite (it covers a Greek actor in Athens and Sicily during the time of Plato.) Colleen McCullough also has a good series of historical fiction on the Roman Republic starting in the time of Marius, through Sulla and on to Caesar and Antony. As far as non-fiction I would recommend Sallust, both books, and Tacitus. For me, nothing beats the orginal sources.
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The only time in my life when I had a hospital stay long enough for a whole book, a friend, a reading friend, brought me Gore Vidal's Creation, which is a very good read, indeed, and was newly published at that time. He did do most of his homework, and the gaps are mostly due to the absence of sources. What would be whoppers in most other authors, such as giving the Persian queen a mastectomy at the hands of a resident Greek doctor, are just Gore Vidal. He's not bad at all in presenting the ideas prevalent across the world c. 400 BCE. I remember envying him the experience of putting it all together and writing it; I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did. I don't say it's the 20th century's greatest novel, and it does take folks who already know a bit of our kind of stuff to relish it.
Pat L.
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No-one seems to mention L. Sprague de Camp's historical novels, so that I wonder if anyone has read them. They are quite old now, dating mostly from the 1960s. Their titles are: The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate; The Arrows of Hercules; An Elephant for Aristotle; The Bronze God of Rhodes; and The Golden Wind. They are all based more or less on historical events or circumstances, and have lots of interesting background detail. They are all covered in Wikipedia, for those who are interested.
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I have read L. Sprague de Camp's books! Still have copies of most. His object was to entertain, and his engineering background provides a hardheaded realism. Cheers, George Spradling
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I seem to recall him adding to the "Conan" canon ... not sure how historically accurate they were though :D ... but thanks for the tip - I'm always on the lookout for good historical novels.
I'm currently reading the series on the detective (ish) laywer "Shardlake" by C.J. Sansom. These are set in London at the time of the dissolution of the monastaries (Henry VIII) which is one of the more unusual settings. They are excellent though, I would recommend them.
Malcolm
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I'm just finishing off The Civil War by Caesar I've read the Gallic War before but I just never got around to reading the Civil War. He leave's quite a bit out! I just wish I could read and understand enough latin to read it in it's original form.
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Slokind speaks of Gore Vidal's Creation above. I recently read his Julian, a biographical novel of the fourth century emperor. Also an excellent and enjoyable read and a book I highly recommend.
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On the recommendation of SemperPecuniamRequiro I bought Colleen McCullough's First man in Rome which is a novel around the civil war between Marius and Sulla. I haven't started yet but I will let you know...
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Millennium-The end of the world and the forging of Christendom by Tom Holland
I've enjoyed both Rubicon and Persian Fire so I am really looking forward to this one.
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Titus, I hope you like the McCullough book, I definitely did. Also I'd like to throw out a Robert Graves book unmentioned on this thread yet, Count Belisarius.
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Mary Beard's The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found (Cambridge, MA: Belknap/Harvard, 2008).
Although the subject of another thread on this board, this fine and sensible book deserves mention in this thread as well.
I strongly, strongly recommend it.
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Since this topic came up, perhaps someone could answer a long-standing question. I remember reading a fictional Roman mystery when I was a teenager (it wasn't Lindsay Davis). I remember it being set in the Empire, I think 3rd century, and one of the characters was named Claudiux Maximus. Any ideas? It was in the early 90s, so I can't really be more specific than that, as I can't remember all the details.
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I picked up the book Cleopatra and Antony: power, love and politics in the ancient world by Diana Preston
It's pretty good so far, but nothing earth shattering. A good read, fast paced and makes good use of ancient references with a balanced view of those sources. I recommend it although I wish it dealt more with Antony's earlier life.
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Started Adrian Goldsworthy's "The Fall of the West: The Death of the Roman superpower"
I can't put it down. Excellent book.
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Desmond Seward's Jerusalem's Traitor: Josephus, Masada, and the Fall of Judea is a wonderful historical narrative aimed at a popular audience. Seward is quite the storyteller and he does not skimp on the details. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this crucial subject.
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Thank you David. I will check that one out! Along the same lines is "Rome & Jerusalem" which I recommended on the first page.
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Presently I am reading Marcus Aurelius: A Life by Frank McLynn. An excellent book and one I highly recommend. Published this year by DaCapo Press.
Other books I have read in the past two or three months that I likewise recommend are Barry Strauss's The Sparticus War (Simon & Schuster, 2009); Diana Preston's Cleopatra and Antony (Walker & Co., 2009); Adrian Goldsworthy's How Rome Fell (Yale University Press, 2009); and Anthony A. Barrett's Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome (Yale, 2002).
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Neil Faulkner's 'Apocalypse: The Great Jewish Revolt agains Rome, AD 66-73' is another good one on the First Revolt.
I recently read 'The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancoent Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts' by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. The picture it gives of Israelite history isn't particularly new, it's basically a middle of the road liberal position, treating Deuteronomy, for instance, as originally a product of the Josianic Reform. The case is well made, though, and is well buttressed by archaeological evidence. There's some particularly interesting stuff on the House of Omri.
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Hi Robert!
The book of Finkelstein and Silberman is edited in German too. I have read it and have to recommend it too. As a specialist in religious science I think you know too 'Who wrote the Bible' from Richard Elliott Friedman. What do you think about it?
Best regards
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Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. It's a fantasy novelization of a BBC series about a underground world in England. A man who loses his identity in the above world after helping a underworlder escape death. He must help her on her mission to find who killed her family so that he can learn how to return to the above world. A really great, addicting book in my opinion and also the best novelization ever!!
All the best
Josh
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Hi Robert!
The book of Finkelstein and Silberman is edited in German too. I have read it and have to recommend it too. As a specialist in religious science I think you know too 'Who wrote the Bible' from Richard Elliott Friedman. What do you think about it?
Best regards
The title, and the appearance of the cover on Amazon, are familiar, but I can't see it on my shelves. I may or may not have it somewhere, I'm sure I've read it. It was too long ago to comment though. I read so many books I can't always trust my memory.
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Hi Robert!
Do you recommend another book about the critical-historical development of the Bible?
Hi Josh!
A sketch from Neil Gaiman.
Best regards
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I'd suggest 'In Search of 'Ancient Israel'', Philip R Davies, Sheffield Academic Press, 1995, 'History and Ideology in Ancient Israel, Giovanni Garbini, SCM, 1988, and 'Ancient Israel', Nils Peter Lemche, JSOT, 1988. Lemche has also produced 'Early Israel', which is more in-depth, but I don't have it. These are all 'minimalists', who take the view that the Old Testament was essentially written after the exile, and isn't particularly historical. I'm more willing than they to accept the Josianic Reform as historical, and the source of a significant amout of OT material. The reason is simply that the reform and the Deuteronomic History seem to fit the needs of a king who was trying to unite Judah and Israel rather too neatly to be dismissed easily. But I think the minimalists make some excellent points. I've had some contact with Lemche, and have the highest respect for him.
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Robert,
Did you get a chance to read any of Bart Ehrman's books? Jesus Interrupted is his most recent.
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Not yet. I'll get round to them eventually.
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Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome by Anthony Everitt. Excellent new biography of the Emperor Hadrian (even if he is clearly not an ancient numismatist since he refers to a sestertius as a "sesterce") by the author of the notable bios of Cicero and Augustus.
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Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome by Anthony Everitt. Excellent new biography of the Emperor Hadrian (even if he is clearly not an ancient numismatist since he refers to a sestertius as a "sesterce") by the author of the notable bios of Cicero and Augustus.
Bought this today, can't wait to start it. I loved Cicero and Augustus so I'm sure this one will be just as good. I like Anthony Everitt's style of writing.
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I keep jumping between selected works of cicero and meditation ???
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Anything by Josephus Flavius, if you like Jewish history.
-Aarmale
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I agree 100%...however have a good biography of Josephus on hand, Thackeray's Josephus: The Man and the Historian offers a sober take on Josephus and his works. Also, Rajak's Josephus is up to date and very informative.
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For me it's Herodotus and Thucydides, which I can't get enough of. Part pleasure and part school, as my exams are approaching quickly!
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I agree, the Albert Bell book is a good read, but then again I'm biased to the time period it takes place in.
Lindsey Davis also has written a series of "Roman detective" books that take place in the Flavian era. Her very modern style used to bother me, (the characters saying things that only a modern Brit would) but as the series has developed the prose has smoothed. Plus her research is much better the later you go into the series. I cautiously recommend them.
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Just bought "Marcus Aurelius a Life" by Frank McLynn, haven't started reading it yet though
I'm half way through "A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome" by Alberto Angela, it's along the same lines as Ancient Rome on 3 Denarii a day.
I just finished "Six Wives: the Queens of Henry the VIII" by David Starkey. Very good read!
and I just started "The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World" by Adrian Murdoch. I'm really liking this one!
On a totally different line of reading I will recommend "I Met the Walrus" by Jerry Levitan. It's a true story of a 14 year old kid who sneeks into the King Edward Hotel in Toronto and gets an exclusive interview with John Lennon. It's an emotional read that I very much identify with. I can't say enough good things about it. You could read it in a single night (I did), it's that interesting.
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"Marcus Aurelius a Life" by Frank McLynn is a terrible read. I'm sorry but I thought I was reading a book on Marcus Aurelius' life not all the philosopher's who influenced him. I find it painfull to read and actually skipped a few chapters with no end to the philosophy in sight! There was one good chapter on Lucius Verus and his "campaign" in the east but that was it. I'm sorry, not recommending this one. I tried...really....I tried. I'm half way through it and will probably not finish it. Some people may like that sort of stuff, but I don't. Very dry.
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There's quite a few good books I've read. Here are a few that I would recommend....
Hadrian: Empire and conflict by Thorsten Opper is a fantastic if a little expensive British Museum book released to accompany the exibition on Hadrian in 2008.
Rome's greatest defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg forest by Adrian Murdoch
The coinage of Roman Britain by Richard Reece
The cities of Pamphylia by John D Grainger
The Roman Republic by Michael Crawford
The fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy
In the name of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy
Sulla: The last Republican by Arthur Keaveney
There are a few more but I will need to dig them out so I will add them as I find them.
Adrian
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A great book on the Roman Republic is Ancient Rome: The Republic by H. L. Havell. The book was originaly published in 1914 and has been re-published by Geddes & Grosset.
In the fictional genre I quite like The Ides of March by Valerio Massimo Manfredi.
Regards Adrian
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Can anyone recommend a good biography of Mark Antony? Seems to be very little modern references on him...
Jay, I was wondering if you have found any good books on Marc Antony. The portrayal of him on HBO's Rome got me really interested in him, but like you I've had no luck on finding any books about.
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Rome's greatest defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg forest by Adrian Murdoch
i've just started 'The Last Pagan' by Adrian Murdoch. it is the biography of Julian, an emperor i've always found to be extremely fascinating.
while it seems so far to be rather accurate and well researched, it is a somewhat sluggish read.
i'll post more as i get along.
~ Peter
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Just bought this one today and will let you guys know if it's good once I finish it, but it looks like it will be. It's Rubicon: The triumph and tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland.
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Not coin or history related, but I'm reading Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession by Dave Jamieson. I've never collected baseball cards and really have no interest in them, but the many stories about the collectors reminds me so much of coin collecting. I recognized myself on more than a few pages.
Anyway, it's a great summer read.
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Jay, I was wondering if you have found any good books on Marc Antony. The portrayal of him on HBO's Rome got me really interested in him, but like you I've had no luck on finding any books about.
Nothing... Cleopatra and Antony was okay but was more about Cleopatra.
Rome's greatest defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg forest by Adrian Murdoch
i've just started 'The Last Pagan' by Adrian Murdoch. it is the biography of Julian, an emperor i've always found to be extremely fascinating.
while it seems so far to be rather accurate and well researched, it is a somewhat sluggish read.
i'll post more as i get along.
~ Peter
I just finished it. It was great.Just bought this one today and will let you guys know if it's good once I finish it, but it looks like it will be. It's Rubicon: The triumph and tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland.
Great book
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i've just started 'The Last Pagan' by Adrian Murdoch. it is the biography of Julian, an emperor i've always found to be extremely fascinating.
while it seems so far to be rather accurate and well researched, it is a somewhat sluggish read.
i'll post more as i get along.
~ Peter
I just finished it. It was great
i'm liking the story a lot, but Murdoch's style is a bit scattered and elementary. still, i'm blasting right through it so that's not much of an obstruction (although it has perverted me to the point of considering buying a coin or two of his!).
~ Peter
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Looking back up the list, I'd like to second the suggestion of Philoromaos of Sulla: The Last Republican. It's the best book I've read on Sulla, short and to the point, without the excessive background information that overwhelms most readers who already possess an in-depth knowledge of Roman history, as I know you guys do.
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"Marcus Aurelius a Life" by Frank McLynn is a terrible read. I'm sorry but I thought I was reading a book on Marcus Aurelius' life not all the philosopher's who influenced him. I find it painfull to read and actually skipped a few chapters with no end to the philosophy in sight! There was one good chapter on Lucius Verus and his "campaign" in the east but that was it. I'm sorry, not recommending this one. I tried...really....I tried. I'm half way through it and will probably not finish it. Some people may like that sort of stuff, but I don't. Very dry.
Actually I quite liked this book, though as you observe, it is rather heavily weighted toward his philosophical life and influences. Your complaint has merit, but as one who has always been a fan of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, I found those portions of the book to be particularly relevant to my understanding of M. Aurelius's thinking. I think it depends on what areas of his life interest you most: M. Aurelius as philosopher or M. Aurelius as emperor. Both are covered here, but the scales are definitely tipping toward M. Aurelius the philosopher, which certainly had an undeniably great influence on his role as emperor. Anyway, I think one will either really like this book or really dislike it. If you're more focused on the philosophical M. Aurelius I recommend it highly, otherwise probably not.
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I've recently read a couple of G.P. Baker's books (Justinian & Tiberius) and found them informative and the prose quite enjoyable.
On the fiction side, the High City by Cecelia Holland is definately a new favorite of mine. It is set during the reign of Basil II, whom I have been trying to find a biography of and/or a book about the history of the Byzantine Empire during that era (c. 800 - Latin overthrow). Could anyone recommend one? Oxford History has one right on point (Basil II and the Governance of Empire) but unfortunately it is still a little out of my price range and I haven't been able to locate it in a library.
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Rubicon, by Tom Holland. Very interesting history of the later Roman Republic. It has been out for a few years, but I'm just now reading it and finding it to be most informative and enjoyable.
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Replying to cwonsidler: I've recently finished a book, CLEOPATRA by Ernle Bradford,1971. The main characters during the life times of Cleopatra are covered pretty evenly. However; the description of Antony was the most interesting, partially because I knew the least about him. Also well covered were; Julius, Cleopatra and Octavian.
The author did a good job in describing the history of the eastern Mediterranean during the final stages of the Hellenistic and Roman Republican period. Highly recommended.
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Just published, The Great Fire of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins is a cracking good read. Written in a narrative style, the book gives a bit of background about Nero and some of the key players in Rome at the time, gives a good account of the fire itself (with a great map that shows the areas devastated by it), and goes into some detail about the aftermath (Nero's scapegoating of the fire, the Piso conspiracy, ect..).
Be sure to carefully read the introduction and pay close attention to the part where the author speculates the followers of Isis were the persecuted ones Nero fingered after the fire and not the Christians. His explanation: a later Christian interpolation of Tacitus' text with the word "Egyptians" replaced by the word "Christians". Other than that bit of speculation the book is fairly factual.
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Can anyone recommend a good biography of Mark Antony? Seems to be very little modern references on him...
Jay, I was wondering if you have found any good books on Marc Antony. The portrayal of him on HBO's Rome got me really interested in him, but like you I've had no luck on finding any books about.
Eleanor Goltz Huzar has a awesome bio on him, Mark Antony: A Biography. It is hard to find, pretty sure it is out of print but I think some of the first chapters are on google books. That way you can decide to check it out before buying it. I paid like $95.00 for my copy, which was an old library book. Second place would be Mark Antony a life buy Patricia Southern. This lady seems to really go out of her way to shine Antony in a good light but still worth the read.
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Lionheart and Lackland: King Richard, King John, and the Wars of Conquest (Frank McLynn, Vintage, 2007), A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain (Marc Morris, Windmill Books, 2009) and Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England (Alison Weir, Pimlico, 2006). Isabella was the wife of Edward's son Edward II. The next on the list is Weir's book on Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II, and mother of Richard I and John. I'll be looking for books on Henry III and Edward III next. The 12th, 13th and 14th Centuries are altogether a fascinating period, and one I want to know more about.
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Just published, The Great Fire of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins is a cracking good read. Written in a narrative style, the book gives a bit of background about Nero and some of the key players in Rome at the time, gives a good account of the fire itself (with a great map that shows the areas devastated by it), and goes into some detail about the aftermath (Nero's scapegoating of the fire, the Piso conspiracy, ect..).
Be sure to carefully read the introduction and pay close attention to the part where the author speculates the followers of Isis were the persecuted ones Nero fingered after the fire and not the Christians. His explanation: a later Christian interpolation of Tacitus' text with the word "Egyptians" replaced by the word "Christians". Other than that bit of speculation the book is fairly factual.
I quite enjoy his books. As I said a few pages ago sometimes he makes some speculative leaps, but overall they are easy and enjoyable reads. I'll look for it.
Can anyone recommend a good biography of Mark Antony? Seems to be very little modern references on him...
Jay, I was wondering if you have found any good books on Marc Antony. The portrayal of him on HBO's Rome got me really interested in him, but like you I've had no luck on finding any books about.
Eleanor Goltz Huzar has a awesome bio on him, Mark Antony: A Biography. It is hard to find, pretty sure it is out of print but I think some of the first chapters are on google books. That way you can decide to check it out before buying it. I paid like $95.00 for my copy, which was an old library book. Second place would be Mark Antony a life buy Patricia Southern. This lady seems to really go out of her way to shine Antony in a good light but still worth the read.
Added to my list...thanks!
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The African Emperor: Septimius Severus by A. R. Birley,
published in 1988, was an interesting book about this emperor
and his historical period.
The author was interviewed on an episode of the PBS television show
"Secrets of the Dead" about the excavation of a Roman graveyard
in England, the bodies were of men supposedly murdered by Caracalla,
Septimius' son.
:)
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Just finished "The Ghosts of Cannae" by O'Connell. I was worried it would spend all of its time bogged down on every detail of the battle (I usually don't read books devoted to single battles), but found it instead to be a great overview of Republican Rome, Carthage, Hannibal, Scipio and the Punic Wars. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a general history on the Punic Wars.
Also finished "Belisarius, the last Roman General" by Ian Hughes. The author does a nice job of presenting what info we have on him without adding a lot of inferences and suppositions. Plus lots of great information on the East Roman Imperial Military of 6th century. I would recommend reading Procopius' works at the same time.
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Just published, The Great Fire of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins is a cracking good read. Written in a narrative style, the book gives a bit of background about Nero and some of the key players in Rome at the time, gives a good account of the fire itself (with a great map that shows the areas devastated by it), and goes into some detail about the aftermath (Nero's scapegoating of the fire, the Piso conspiracy, ect..).
Be sure to carefully read the introduction and pay close attention to the part where the author speculates the followers of Isis were the persecuted ones Nero fingered after the fire and not the Christians. His explanation: a later Christian interpolation of Tacitus' text with the word "Egyptians" replaced by the word "Christians". Other than that bit of speculation the book is fairly factual.
I just finished this one and loved it. I really like his quick paced style and enjoyed all of his books on the Roman legions.
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Finally! "Antony and Cleopatra" by Adrian Goldsworthy.
Picked it up today and just finished the Intro. I'm going to enjoy this one!
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Finally! "Antony and Cleopatra" by Adrian Goldsworthy.
Picked it up today and just finished the Intro. I'm going to enjoy this one!
Jay, if this book is the same high quality as Goldsworthy's "Caesar: Life of a Colossus" , which I thoroughly enjoyed, you're going to fly through this work.
Keep me posted. I've just started Klaus Bringmann's "A History of the Roman Republic" (I'm still in the first chapter) and I have Anthony Everitt's "Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician" on my shelf waiting to be read, but I'm almost ready for another title.
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Bud, just finished Antony and Cleopatra by Goldsworthy...Just as good as Caesar!
I'm now reading "The Quest for the Lost Roman Legions: Discovering the Varus Battlefield" by Tony Clunn
What an amazing discovery! Anyone interested in coins and how hoard evidence can pin point Historical dates and events will absolutely love this book! Yet it isn't a dry scholarly paper, it really comes to life and you feel as if you are standing right beside him as he uses a metal detector to find hidden denarii and even more spectacular finds. It goes back and forth between the Varus battle and the discovery of the site. Excellent!
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Allthough not coin oriented, "Mythology, Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton is fantastic. It was published in 1942, but still in circulation, so it is easy to find. The book is centered on Greek and Roman gods/heroes/legends and has been an interesting and engaging read. Even though I love coin collecting, I love learning about the cultures even more!
Chris
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Allthough not coin oriented, "Mythology, Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton is fantastic. It was published in 1942, but still in circulation, so it is easy to find. The book is centered on Greek and Roman gods/heroes/legends and has been an interesting and engaging read. Even though I love coin collecting, I love learning about the cultures even more!
Chris
I would absolutely second this one. This was the first book I ever read on mythology (required reading in my elementary school Latin class!) and I still read it again every couple years just for fun.
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Bud, just finished Antony and Cleopatra by Goldsworthy...Just as good as Caesar!
I'm now reading "The Quest for the Lost Roman Legions: Discovering the Varus Battlefield" by Tony Clunn
What an amazing discovery! Anyone interested in coins and how hoard evidence can pin point Historical dates and events will absolutely love this book! Yet it isn't a dry scholarly paper, it really comes to life and you feel as if you are standing right beside him as he uses a metal detector to find hidden denarii and even more spectacular finds. It goes back and forth between the Varus battle and the discovery of the site. Excellent!
Just to bring this to the current page since it was the last post on the previous page! ;D
Chris I am going to check out that book. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Ian Mortimer, The Greatest Traitor: the Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England 1327-1330, Vintage Books, 2010.
Mortimer was originally a loyal subject who eventually rebelled against Edward II with good reason. He escaped from the Tower after being arrested, and fled to France. Edward treated his wife, Isabella of France, so badly she fled to her brother the king of France, and she became Mortimer's mistress. The two of them invaded England, overthrew the king, and allegedly Mortimer had him murdered with a red-hot poker up his backside. The book gives and excellent account of Mortimer's life, and lays out a detailed case for believing that Edward wasn't murdered after all, but secretly remained in captivity until Mortimer was executed, when he fled to the Pope, and ended up in an Italian hermitage.
I'm sure someone's going to disagree, and I look forward to reading the counter-arguments!
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Bud, just finished Antony and Cleopatra by Goldsworthy...Just as good as Caesar!
I'm now reading "The Quest for the Lost Roman Legions: Discovering the Varus Battlefield" by Tony Clunn
What an amazing discovery! Anyone interested in coins and how hoard evidence can pin point Historical dates and events will absolutely love this book! Yet it isn't a dry scholarly paper, it really comes to life and you feel as if you are standing right beside him as he uses a metal detector to find hidden denarii and even more spectacular finds. It goes back and forth between the Varus battle and the discovery of the site. Excellent!
Just to bring this to the current page since it was the last post on the previous page! ;D
Chris I am going to check out that book. Thanks for the recommendation!
I agree, Clunn's book is a very good read. Highly recommended!
Check out Adrian Murdoch's "Rome's Greatest Defeat" as well. A great read on the same subject.
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I just read Stacy Schiff's recent biography of Cleopatra. It is by far the best treatment of the queen's life I have read.
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Anyone can suggest good book about III century in Roman Empire?
thanks
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Anyone can suggest good book about III century in Roman Empire?
thanks
I had a great book about this time period once. I think it was called "Climax of Rome" (can't remember if this was the title or subtitle). I can't remember the author's name right off hand but it covered roughly the period from M. Aurelius to Constantine. Had different sections dealing with the military/government, arts/culture, economy, religion, etc. Lots of good detailed information without being too academic. I will check with the person I passed it onto and try and get full title/author.
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I had a great book about this time period once. I think it was called "Climax of Rome" (can't remember if this was the title or subtitle). I can't remember the author's name right off hand but it covered roughly the period from M. Aurelius to Constantine. Had different sections dealing with the military/government, arts/culture, economy, religion, etc. Lots of good detailed information without being too academic. I will check with the person I passed it onto and try and get full title/author.
Michael Grant's "Climax of Rome" Published by Phoenician Paper (1997)
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thanks, guys ;)
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Anyone can suggest good book about III century in Roman Empire?
thanks
Pat Southern's "The Roman Empire: From Severus to Constantine" is a very good introduction to the period. Highly recommended.
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Michael Grant's "Climax of Rome" Published by Phoenician Paper (1997)
[/quote]
That's the one! While I'm thinking about it, can anyone recommend something similiar covering the II century/adoptive emperor period?
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I just finished Anthony Everitt’s “Cicero”. I thoroughly enjoyed this work. What great insights into the man and his times. I must admit I was a little apprehensive at first, I thought that the work would be dominated by long excerpts of Cicero’s orations, but it turned out to be so much more. As we all know, Cicero was a witness and participant in some of the most turbulent events of Republican History, and Mr. Everitt lets us view these events through the eyes of one of the Republic’s greatest defenders. I highly recommend this work not only for the educational aspects, but because it is highly entertaining.
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I just finished Anthony Everitt’s “Cicero”. I thoroughly enjoyed this work. What great insights into the man and his times. I must admit I was a little apprehensive at first, I thought that the work would be dominated by long excerpts of Cicero’s orations, but it turned out to be so much more. As we all know, Cicero was a witness and participant in some of the most turbulent events of Republican History, and Mr. Everitt lets us view these events through the eyes of one of the Republic’s greatest defenders. I highly recommend this work not only for the educational aspects, but because it is highly entertaining.
Just started reading this one again!
Also just finished Pat Southern's "Mark Antony A Life". It really peels away the propaganda of Octavian and shows Antony as a very good decision maker and not the bewitched follower of Cleopatra so often conveyed. At the same time it points out his flaws. Highly recommended.
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The relation between Mark and Cleo was cleverly exploited politically by Augustus . The figure of Cesarion ( Cleopatra"s son) too ( by both). Thats why I mentioned the political maneuvers precceding the battle of Actium. In fact Augustus was much nastier than Mark,and in politics you know.......
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Just finished "Nero's Killing machine" by Stephen Dando Collins. This book is all about the 14th Gemina Legion, and I thought it was a fantastic read. It actually is what got me thinking about that Germanicus coin.
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Just finished "Nero's Killing machine" by Stephen Dando Collins. This book is all about the 14th Gemina Legion, and I thought it was a fantastic read. It actually is what got me thinking about that Germanicus coin.
Cool! I've recommended all of his books on the Roman Legions. I don't always agree with his conclusions though...
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Maybe not, but I thought he did a good job of recreating battles and personalities. I was pretty amazed at the end of the book where he states that it was 32 years in the making...:)
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I just finished Richard Gabriel's, "Philip II of Macedonia: Greater Than Alexander", and I must say it was an excellent read. In very clear and interesting language he lays out the case that Philip was a much better diplomat and tactician than Alexander was and that Philip set the stage for Alexander to become the general he eventually became. Without all of Philip's "advance" work, Alexander might not have become a world conqueror. I highly recommend this book.
Steve
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Richard Gabriel's, "Philip II of Macedonia: Greater Than Alexander",
Yes I read it too :brilliant. I have no doubt that he would have taken the Persian Empire as well, with Alexander being one of his top generals. And if Alexander suceeeded him after that then he , Alexander, might have conquered ALL the known world.
Does anybody know of a book about Hellenistic Athens?
Cicerokid
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Just bought "The Poison King: The Life and Legand of Mithriadates" by Adrienne Mayor. Not too many books on this most interesting and important historical figure. Looking forward to reading it.
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I enjoyed When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome by Richard Rubenstein
It begins with Diocletians persecution of the christians and the events leading to the Nicean council and the involvement of Constantine. It goes into the struggles after the council to the end of the 4th century with the emperor Theodosius.
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Just bought "The Poison King: The Life and Legand of Mithriadates" by Adrienne Mayor. Not too many books on this most interesting and important historical figure. Looking forward to reading it.
I just finished this, very glad I had a chance to pick it up. Found it a great read with lots of good information, definitely recommend.
I was a little confused though by some of her contentions (he was an absolute monarch setting up a personal empire who was somehow anti-imperial?) and apologetic tone. Don't want to rehash here in this thread but does anyone know if this book has been discussed previously, either on FORVM or elsewhere? I'd like to get some other opinions.
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I had never heard of it until I saw it in the bookstore. I'm only on chapter 2 so I'll let you know once I'm finished. so far I'm into it.
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"The Man in the Roman Street" by Harold Mattingly
Before you buy another Roman coin read this book! Mattingly was the principal author behind the RIC series and while he scarcely mentions numismatics, this short volume (~150 pages) basically explains what the amateur needs to know and can expect to learn about the Roman mind from the study of Roman coins.
Best yet, the book is probably available in the local library or, if not, very cheaply on Amazon in paperback. It was written in the 1950's, before word processors and publishers who paid authors by the pound for printed matter. Mattingly is easy to read once you get used to his condensed style of writing.
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Another great book which I read several years ago is "The Bones of St. Peter" by John Walsh, published in 1982. When Constantine built St Peter's in Rome he constructed it over what he believed to be the grave of St. Peter located in (not surprisingly) a cemetery. Just before WW II the Vatican authorized a group of archaologists to begin excavations in the basement of St Peters which had been rebuilt on the old foundations in the Renaissance. They discovered that Constantine's basilica had frozen in time and place the alleged grave of St. Peter's.
The book is an excellent archaeological read with a lot of reflections on Roman history and the history of St. Peter's. The book has been published on the web, almost in its entirety.
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Necropolis/JW/TheBonesofStPeter-8.htm#theory
....but is best read in book form. It's probably in the library. A real page-turner written with scientific objectivity
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I just finished "Constantine the Great: The Man and his Times" by Michael Grant. Grant refers quite a bit to coin evidence, and the book is an easy read, but overall, its a tad purile; not up to his previous work. The overall tone is almost snarky, and at 227 pages of text, only glosses over the man and his period.
Jacob Burkhardt's work on Constantine is 100 times better, and is written in a dispassionate, scholarly tone. Much superior to Grant's work, as well as being much older.
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I just remembered two really good books related to Byzantine coinage:
"Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy" by Michael Hendy, who just died a couple of years ago. Very good book of essays and everything you wanted to know about the development of the solidus and monisma.
"Byzantine Coinage" by Phiilip Grierson. Not bad compendium of Byzantine coinage. It's not even remotely similar to Sear, but goes into much more depth on the economic and social context of the coins.
"Economy, Fiscal Administration, & Coinage of Byzantium" by Michael Hendy. Another outstanding work on the Byzantine economy.
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I have to give a friend's book a plug.
A colleague of mine, another Canadian diplomat, has published a novel set in the 2nd century Roman Empire.
It is called Last of the Ninth, by Stephen Lorne Bennett, 2010. It is only being e-published. I got my copy on Smashwords and chose a PDF option though it is also available via several other e-book services:
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ebooks/search/?keywords=stephen%20lorne%20bennett&pageSize=12
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21565
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Last-of-the-Ninth/Stephen-Lorne-Bennett/e/2940011099717/?itm=1&USRI=stephen+lorne+bennett
http://kobobooks.com/ebook/Last-of-the-Ninth/book-LUHgiu2dx0-sSncwrDpBiw/page1.html
http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/stephen-lorne-bennett/last-of-the-ninth/_/R-400000000000000284339
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000021565/Bennett-Stephen-Lorne-Last-of-the-Ninth/1.html
(Also available as an I-Book for the Apple I-pad or on Scrollmotion if you have those aps.)
[Hopefully this does not break forvm rules as they are not coin vendors.]
Though admitedly biaised I thought the story was great fun. It is set in a variety of places - Danube limes, Rome and the East - in the early 160s AD. The story is very well researched over all (he tells me it was a ten year venture) and includes a numismatic plot element! (I have to say that there is an error regarding the numismatics but it certainly does not detract from the plot or the enjoyment.) A few genuine figures appear in it including Lucius Verus and Lucian of Samosata.
Shawn
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I will check that out. Thanks Shawn!
I will recommend a book I just started:
The Pursuit of Italy by David Gilmour.
It's a History of the different Italian people, their culture and language and why it may not have been a good idea for unification. I must say it is a very interesting book and doesn't get bogged down but gives a really good overview of the regions and cities and then focuses on a specific example to make the point. It starts in the pre-Roman world and right now i'm up to the Popes of the 1500's. I'm really enjoying this one.
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I see there are a couple of new/newer books out on the period after Alexander's death and the wars between his successors. Has anyone read any and could recommend one? I have limited my book buying budget severely and am trying to choose just 1.
Thanks!
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Desmond Seward's Jerusalem's Traitor: Josephus, Masada, and the Fall of Judea is a wonderful historical narrative aimed at a popular audience. Seward is quite the storyteller and he does not skimp on the details. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this crucial subject.
Just picked this one up and am already half way through. Thanks for the tip, I'm enjoying it!
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I'm glad you're enjoying it Jay! It's probably one of the better popular books on the subject, IMHO.
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I also just finished Chasing Aphrodite by Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino
It's the hunt for looted antiquities at the world's richest museum the Getty and Met. Fantastic book that reads like a mystery novel only it's true. I really recommend this book, it'll change the way you think about museums.
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Much more closer in time but the subject of a recent film" Anonymous", whose hero I think is the Earl of Oxford, de Vere who died in 1604 ( yes really!)
"Contested Will", by the American scholar and author of the excellent "1599", James Shapiro charts where the 3 main contenders of the "who wrote Shakespeare" question came from and why.
I have no doubt: Mr William Shakespeare ( various spellings!) of Stratford upon Avon 1564-1616.
Niether does James Shapiro.
( and I'm not just saying that 'cos Stratford upon Shakespeare is 20 miles away :) ).
Cic
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Much more closer in time but the subject of a recent film" Anonymous", whose hero I think is the Earl of Oxford, de Vere who died in 1604 ( yes really!)
"Contested Will", by the American scholar and author of the excellent "1599", James Shapiro charts where the 3 main contenders of the "who wrote Shakespeare" question came from and why.
I have no doubt: Mr William Shakespeare ( various spellings!) of Stratford upon Avon 1564-1616.
Niether does James Shapiro.
( and I'm not just saying that 'cos Stratford upon Shakespeare is 20 miles away :) ).
Cic
Conspiracy theorist even creep into English literature. The imminent British actor Derek Jacobi sadly has fallen for this load of rubbish. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Jacobi#Shakespeare_authorship_involvement
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A big recommendation for N. H. H. Sitwell's Outside the Empire: The World The Romans Knew. There are numerous books out there about what was inside the Roman Empire, this book goes some distance to tell us what the Romans knew about the world beyond their borders. Each chapter goes into detail about a different area - Germany, Eastern Europe, Africa, India, China, and so forth. Written in a breezy narrative style that makes this book a joy. A truly fascinating read. I picked the book up rather cheaply and it can easily be found on Alibris.com or amazon.
N.B. The maps are OK but one would do better to have The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World close at hand.
Also, Sitwell had previously written another great book called Roman Roads of Europe which goes hand and hand with Outside The Empire.
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After reading the book Roman Passions by Ray Laurence, I was reminded of an inscription on a Roman tombstone - "Wine, sex and baths – they ruin the body, but they make life worth living". That, in a nutshell, is what this book is about. If you ever wanted to know what the Romans craved and enjoyed, this is the book for you!
With chapters on bathing, sex, food, gardens, and a host of other pleasures this monograph covers a lot of ground. Highly recommended!
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I just finished In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland It's the history of the world after Rome, basically how Persia and the east became Muslim. Very interesting read and gives some real insight into why the world is divided the way it is today.
Here's the description from Amazon:
"In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on, and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. In The Shadow of the Sword, Tom Holland explores how this came about. Spanning Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, he tells a story vivid with drama, horror and startling achievement."
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Just bought "Livia, Empress of Rome" by Matthew Dennison. So far so good.
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Just started "Cleopatra the Great: the Woman behind the Legend by Dr. Joann Fletcher"
I'm over 100 pages in and still haven't really learned anything about Cleopatra :laugh: so far its been a history of Alexander the Ptolemy's and Egypt but it's good none the less.
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Just started "Cleopatra the Great: the Woman behind the Legend by Dr. Joann Fletcher"
I'm over 100 pages in and still haven't really learned anything about Cleopatra :laugh: so far its been a history of Alexander the Ptolemy's and Egypt but it's good none the less.
I've read her popular book on Amenhotep III and thought it was fairly decent.
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Just started "Cleopatra the Great: the Woman behind the Legend by Dr. Joann Fletcher"
I'm over 100 pages in and still haven't really learned anything about Cleopatra :laugh: so far its been a history of Alexander the Ptolemy's and Egypt but it's good none the less.
I've read her popular book on Amenhotep III and thought it was fairly decent.
Problem is this one seems to be all about Egyptian religion. I'm almost half way through and I still have learned nothing about Cleopatra except that she supported various local temples...get on with it!
Today two new books arrived.
Scipio Africanus: Romes Greatest General by Richard A. Gabriel
A Jew Among Romans: The Life and Legacy of Flavius Josephus by Frederic Raphael
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I didn't realize we had a recommended reading thread. Here is an article I read yesterday that I highly recommend, for anyone interested in Janus, his temple, and early Roman "religious" practices:
Taylor, Rabun, "Watching the Skies:Janus, Auspication, and the Shrine in the Roman Forum" in Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 45 (2000), pp. 1-40.
If your library has access to databases it should be easy enough to find. I got mine via JSTOR.
Nick
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Today two new books arrived.
Scipio Africanus: Romes Greatest General by Richard A. Gabriel
A Jew Among Romans: The Life and Legacy of Flavius Josephus by Frederic Raphael
Fasten your seatbelt while reading the Raphael book, you will be in for quite the ride! Yes, it is about Josephus, but also about so much more.
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I bought it on your recommendation. Looking forward to it once I finish Cleo.
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A Jew Among Romans: The Life and Legacy of Flavius Josephus by Frederic Raphael
Fasten your seatbelt while reading the Raphael book, you will be in for quite the ride! Yes, it is about Josephus, but also about so much more.
You know David, I just wasn't that interested in the "so much more". Some of the footnotes were longer than the paragraphs and in at least one case took up 3/4 of the page. It became tedious and sometimes I forgot what the original paragraph was about! It wasn't really what I was looking for but I'm glad I read it.
Keep the recommendations coming!
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I just re-read Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome by
Stephen Dando-Collins, which is a great book about the 10th Legion.
I would also recommend Carthage Must be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization by Richard Miles.
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A Jew Among Romans: The Life and Legacy of Flavius Josephus by Frederic Raphael
Fasten your seatbelt while reading the Raphael book, you will be in for quite the ride! Yes, it is about Josephus, but also about so much more.
You know David, I just wasn't that interested in the "so much more". Some of the footnotes were longer than the paragraphs and in at least one case took up 3/4 of the page. It became tedious and sometimes I forgot what the original paragraph was about! It wasn't really what I was looking for but I'm glad I read it.
Keep the recommendations coming!
Well, I suppose his style isn't everyone's cup of tea. It was his unceasing wit that mostly propelled me through it.
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I just re-read Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome by
Stephen Dando-Collins, which is a great book about the 10th Legion.
I would also recommend Carthage Must be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization by Richard Miles.
Dando-Collins is a very engaging writer, however he plays fast and loose with the facts and can come up with some odd theories. Approach with caution.
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I just re-read Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome by
Stephen Dando-Collins, which is a great book about the 10th Legion.
I would also recommend Carthage Must be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization by Richard Miles.
Dando-Collins is a very engaging writer, however he plays fast and loose with the facts and can come up with some odd theories. Approach with caution.
I forgot to add that the first is more of a story while the second is much better as a history book.
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Almost finished Caligula: The Corruption of Power by Anthony Barrett
I'm really enjoying this read. An excellent biography of Caligula with some very sound theories and conclusions. I highly recommend it.
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I just bought a nicely bound copy of Mommsen, History of Rome, pictures below. I have to say that the lovely binding makes me question my own motivations as regards books. Of course it's available free on archive.org, or in battered single volumes or reprint on demand for about $10 a volume. Originals are usually badly bound, with pages often falling out, and print on demand is a horrible reading experience, as is trying to read such a massive tome on a computer. So I like to think that my motives in choosing such a nicely rebound old copy were entirely academic - a nice book is such a pleasure to read that it maximise the chances I will actually read it again (I've an abridged version and have read much of the full version in bits and pieces from single volumes borrowed at library. but never end to end in one go). It is very well written indeed, so well written that this was the very book that caused Mommsen to be awarded the Nobel prize in literature for 1902: from the Nobel citation:
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1902 was awarded to Theodor Mommsen "the greatest living master of the art of historical writing, with special reference to his monumental work, A history of Rome".
Presentation Speech by C.D. af Wirsén, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy on December 10, 1902
The second paragraph of the Nobel statutes states that «Literature» should include not only belles-lettres, «but also other writings that in form or content show literary value». This definition sanctions the award of the Nobel Prize in Literature to philosophers, writers on religious subjects, scientists, and historians, provided that their work is distinguished by artistic excellence of presentation as well as by the high value of its content.
The Swedish Academy this year had to make its choice among many brilliant names that have been suggested. In giving the Prize to the historian Theodor Mommsen, whose name had been proposed by eighteen members of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, it has selected one of the most celebrated among them.
A bibliography of Mommsen's published writings, compiled by Zangemeister on the occasion of his seventieth birthday, contains nine hundred and twenty items. One of Mommsen's most important projects was editing the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (1867-1959), a Herculean task despite the assistance of many learned collaborators, for not only did Mommsen contribute to each of the fifteen volumes but the organization of the total work is his lasting achievement. A veritable hero in the field of scholarship, Mommsen has done original and seminal research in Roman law, epigraphy, numismatics, the chronology of Roman history, and general Roman history. Even an otherwise prejudiced critic admitted that he can speak with equal authority on an Iapygian inscription, a fragment of Appius Caecus, and agriculture in Carthage. The educated public knows him chiefly through his Römische Geschichte (1854-55, 1885) [History of Rome], and it is this monumental work in particular that induced the Swedish Academy to award the Nobel Prize to him.
The work began to appear in 1854; Volume IV has not yet been published, but in 1885 he brought out Volume V, a masterly description of the state of the provinces under the Empire, a period so close to our own that the descriptions could be made to apply to more recent fields of activity which are mentioned in the Nobel statutes and which one can use as a starting point in assessing the total work of the writer. Mommsen's Römische Geschichte, which has been translated into many languages, is distinguished by its thorough and comprehensive scholarship as well as its vigorous and lively style. Mommsen combines his command of the vast material with acute judgment, strict method, a youthful vigour, and that artistic presentation which alone can give life and concreteness to a description. He knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff, and it is difficult to decide whether one should give higher praise and have more admiration for his vast knowledge and the organizing power of his mind or for his intuitive imagination and his ability to turn carefully investigated facts into a living picture. His intuition and his creative power bridge the gap between the historian and the poet. Mommsen felt this relationship when in the fifth volume of his Roman history he said that imagination is the mother not only of poetry but also of history. Indeed, the similarities are great. Ranke's detached objectivity is reminiscent of Goethe's calm greatness, and England did right in burying Macaulay in the poets' corner of Westminster Abbey.
In a few bold strokes Mommsen has drawn the character of the Roman people and shown how the Roman's obedience to the state was linked to the obedience of son to father. With extraordinary skill he has unrolled the huge canvas of Rome's development from slight beginnings to world rule. He has shown how with the growth of the Empire new tasks outgrew the old and stubbornly preserved constitution; how the sovereignty of the comitia gradually became a fiction, only incidentally realized by demagogues for their own purposes; how the Senate took care of public affairs in an honourable manner, but how the old aristocratic oligarchy that had once served its purpose failed to meet new demands; how a frequently unpatriotic capitalism abused its powers in political speculations; and how the disappearance of the free peasant led to disastrous consequences for the commonwealth. Mommsen also has demonstrated how the frequent change of consuls hampered the unified and consistent conduct of wars, which led to the prolongation of military commands; how at the same time the generals became increasingly independent and how Caesarism became a necessity for many reasons but especially because of the lack of institutions commensurate with the needs of the actual Empire; and how absolutism in many cases would have caused less hardship than the oligarchic rule. False grandeur vanishes before the uncompromising eye of the historian, the wheat is separated from the chaff and, like his admired Caesar, Mommsen has a clear eye for practical needs and that freedom from illusions which he praised in the conquerors of Gaul.
Various critics have objected that Mommsen is sometimes carried away by his genius for subjective passionate judgments, especially in his frequently unfavourable remarks concerning the last partisans of dying freedom and the opponents of Caesar, and concerning those who wavered between the parties during those hard times. Objections, perhaps not always totally unjustified, have been raised to Mommsen's admiration of the power of genius even where it breaks the law, as well as to his statement that in history, which has no trials for high treason, a revolutionary can be a farsighted and praiseworthy statesman. On the other hand, it must be emphasized that Mommsen never glorifies brute power, but extols that power which serves the high goals of the state; and one has to record his firmly stated conviction that «praise that is corrupted by the genius of evil sins against the sacred spirit of history.» It has also been remarked that Mommsen occasionally applies to ancient conditions modern terms that cannot fully correspond to them (Junkertum, the Roman Coblenz, Camarilla, Lanzknechte, Marschälle, Sbirren, etc.). But this method of stressing the similarities between historical phenomena of different ages is not a product of Mommsen's imagination but of his learning, which has at its disposal many analogues from various periods of history. If it adds too much colour to the narrative, it also adds freshness. Mommsen, by the way, is not a historical materialist. He admires Polybius, but he blames him for overlooking the ethical powers of man, and for having a too mechanical Weltanschauung. Concerning C. Gracchus, the inspired revolutionary whose measures he sometimes praises and sometimes blames, he says that every state is built on sand unless the ruler and the governed are tied together by a common morality. A healthy family life is to him the core of the nation. He severely condemns the curse of the Roman system of slavery. He has seen how a people that still has energy can be morally strengthened by disaster, and there is a pedagogical truth in his words that just as Athens' freedom was born out of the flames with which the Persians ravaged the Acropolis, so today the unity of Italy resulted from the conflagration that the Gauls caused in Rome.
Learned, lively, sarcastic, and versatile, Mommsen has shed light on the domestic and foreign affairs of Rome, her religion, literature, law, finances, and customs. His descriptions are magnificent; no reader can forget his accounts of the battles of Lake Trasimene, Cannae, Aleria, and Pharsalus. His character sketches are equally lively. In sharp and clear outlines we see the profiles of the «political incendiary» C. Gracchus; of Marius in his last period «when insanity became a power and one plunged into abysses to avoid giddiness »; of Sulla, in particular, an incomparable portrait that has become an anthology piece; of the great Julius Caesar, Mommsen's Roman ideal; of Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, the victor of Zama - not to mention the lesser figures whose features have been drawn clearly by the master's hand.
With regard to these portraits the historian Treitschke has said that Römische Geschichte is the finest historical work of the nineteenth century and that Mommsen's Caesar and Hannibal must cause enthusiasm in every young man, every young soldier.
One finds in Mommsen a curious combination of qualities. He is profoundly learned, a sober analyst of sources; yet he can be passionate in his judgments. He describes in great detail and with profound knowledge the inner workings of government and the complexities of economics; but at the same time his battle scenes and character sketches are brilliant. He is perhaps above all an artist, and his Römische Geschichte is a gigantic work of art. Belles-lettres, that noble flower of civilization, receives the last mention in Nobel's will; Mommsen will always be counted among its prime representatives. When he delivered the first volume of his Römische Geschichte to the publisher, he wrote, «the labour has been immense», and on the fiftieth anniversary of his doctorate he spoke fervently of the boundless ocean of scholarship. But in his completed work the labour, however great it may have been, has been obliterated as in any true work of art which receives its own form from nature. The reader treads on safe ground, unmolested by the surf. The great work stands before our eyes as if cast in metal. In his inaugural address in Cambridge, Lord Acton justly called Mommsen one of the greatest writers of the present, and from this point of view especially Mommsen deserves a great literary prize. The most recent German edition of Römische Geschichte has just appeared. There are no changes. The work has retained its freshness; it is a monument which, though it may not possess the soft beauty of marble, is as perennial as bronze. The scholar's hand is visible everywhere, but so is the poet's. And, indeed, Mommsen did write poetry in his youth. The Liederbuch dreier Freunde [Songbook of Three Friends] of 1843 is witness that he might have become a servant of the Muses if, in his own words, circumstances had not brought it about that «what with folios and with prose/not every bud turned out a rose». Mommsen the historian was a friend of Theodor Storm and an admirer of Mörike; even in advanced years he translated works by the Italian poets Carducci and Giacosa.
Arts and Sciences have often shown the capacity to keep their practitioners young in spirit. Mommsen is both a scholar and an artist, and at eighty-five he is young in his works. Even in old age, as late as 1895, he made valuable contributions to the Proceedings of the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
The medal of the Nobel Prize in Literature depicts a young man listening to the inspirations of the Muses. Mommsen is an old man, but he possesses the fire of youth, and one rarely realizes as clearly as when reading Mommsen's Römische Geschichte that Clio was one of the Muses. That example of pure history aroused our enthusiasm when we were young; it has kept its power over our minds, as we learn when we reread it now in our older days. Such is the power of historical scholarship if it is combined with great art.
For the above reasons we are sending today a homage from the country of Erik Gustaf Geijer to Theodor Mommsen.
At the banquet, C.D. af Wirsén delivered a speech in German in which he praised «the master of the art of historical exposition», and, in the name of the Swedish Academy, invited those present to empty their glasses in honour of the «great master of German historical research». The Minister of Germany Count von Leyden, replied for Theodor Mommsen, who was absent.
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Very nice Andrew. I like the binding. Very attractive and I also love having a book in my hand rather than reading on an ipad or computer.
Just a few months ago a friend of mine gave me all 5 volumes of Mommsen's History of Rome 1901 edition. It's in its original binding and the pages are in excellent condition. Just started reading it...
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Mines the 1864 edition. Same translator so I assume from a literary perspective it will be much the same despite the additions and corrections in the 1901. I was prompted to buy it due to the annoyance of finding that my library copy was missing some pages and the impracticality of having all five library volumes at home at the one time. I assume my vol IV:1 and IV:2 equates to your vols 4 and 5: in the original conception vol 5 was to cover the provinces and vols 6 onwards the empire but the latter were never written. I'm rather confused however by the Nobel citation speech saying that vol.4 had not yet been published as of 1902 so frankly I'm not quite sure what I'm getting, but it wasn't overly dear at about $100 per rebound volume in three quarter leather with new endpapers and marbling and titled spine. One might pay as much for the binding.
You have nice generous thoughtful friends. The nature of your friends is a vote on your own character too.
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What a coincidence.
I recently found an 1887 Charles Scribner's Sons edition of Mommsen's two volume The Provinces of the Roman Empire, part of the History of Rome set published separately, at least in the US. The original binding is, as Andrew says, very poor with several lose pages. But it was $38 for the two volumes at the fabulous Strand Bookstore in Lower Manhattan.
It is my current bedtime reading and I am about 1/4 into volume II.
A trip to Strand's top floor netted me an 1843 copy of A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
Shawn
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I've just received my new 1864-67 rebound Mommsen History of Rome and want to clarify how it compares with the 1901.
- The dates of my copy can be confirmed as 1864 for volumes 1 and 2, and 1867 for volumes 3, 4.1 and 4.2.
- The scope of my five volumes covers from the earliest times to Julius Caesar and the legal reforms which he instituted, but not the later Imperatorial period. This matches what the 1901 edition covers. However the pagination and volumation (??) is completely different, and to further confuse matters, neither edition matches the five "books" that Mommsen split his three "volume" original German edition into. For example, volume 2 of the 1901 edition covers Chapters VII-IX of Book 2, and Chapters I-X of Book 3. Volume 2 of the 1864 edition covers all of Book 3 Chapters I-XIV. I can detect no differences in the actual texts.
None of these correlations matter in the least of course, except to know that all editions in all languages at all times seem to cover the same scope from earliest times to JC, with randomly different splits as to what is in each volume and/or how many volumes there are.
- In the German edition, these five volumes (1,2,3,4.1,4.2) were originally published in three volumes hence squaring with the Nobel citation that talks about vols 1,2,3 and 5, the latter being the published volume on the Provinces and the missing vol.4 being the unpublished Imperial volume although it was supposedly reconstructed from student notes taken in lectures by Mommsen and published by Clare Krojzl (as co-author with M.) in the 1990s as A History of Rome under the Emperors. The latter isn't on Amazon, but over 30 copies are available on Abebooks at moderate prices, as are copies of the Provinces book. Apparently the Krozjl book caused somewhat of a sensation when published in Germany in 1992, but it's not in Mommsen's immaculate and vibrant Nobel-prize winning prose (and Dickson's superb translation), rather is based on student scrawls converted into PhD-speak*. Independent reviews of the 1996 English edition more or less said "whateva". Still, for curiosity and completeness sakes, I've just bought a copy of Krojzl's Imperial "Volume 4" at £15, and a 1969 2-vol hardback reprint of Mommsen's Provincial "Volume 5" at £12.
* http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/beware-the-jargon-in-academic-speak/91656.article : radicals went into university and immediately clad themselves in all of the paraphernalia of an elite cult. The theoreticians place "ism" at the end of words, are prolix at using such prefixes as pre- and post- or cyber. They use Latinate versions whenever possible, nouns instead of verbs, intransitive instead of transitive uses, and love to wave around quote marks like confetti, supposedly as a sign of irony. Words like "foreground", which has perfectly good ordinary English synonyms, are used to achieve a spurious sense of high intellectual activity.
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I am currently reading the Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini trans. J. Addington Symonds. Cellini was a prominent die engraver during the renaissance (among other things). Symonds is a pretty interesting Victorian scholar.
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A trip to Strand's top floor netted me an 1843 copy of A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
Shawn
Every time I'm in Manhattan I make a trip to Strand's! My last visit netted me two books on Caligula
Caligula: The corruption of Power by Anthony A. Barrett
and
Caligula Emperor of Rome by Arther Ferrill
Barrett's book is by far the better read, both for his research and sound reasonable conclusions. Ferrill resorts time and again to simply stating Caligula did things because he was insane. Both books are tough to get and expensive if you find them. Strand's had them for a bargain. I love that place!
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I am currently reading the Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini trans. J. Addington Symonds.
rennrad12020: at least according to the (well-crafted) coffee-table book "100 greatest ancient coins":
Benvenuto Ceillini, the great goldsmith and sculptor, describes with admiration ancient coins that he was able to acquire.
I wonder if Cellini mentions specific examples of numismatic art that may have inspired him. I've added the Symonds translation to my reading list, thank you.
Regards,
Derek
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Looking at the back of my new Mommsen's (pic below), I was absolutely delighted to discover that the set was once owned by clergy at Santi Cosma e Damiano, the church in in the Roman Forum dedicated to the two Greek martyred doctors, and that is actually the ancient Roman building of the Temple of Romulus built in 309 BC, on the foundations of the more ancient temple of Jupiter Stator, founded by Romulus after a battle in the Forum area between the Romans and Sabines, and was the location of the Senate house where Cicero delivered his oration against the tyrant Cataline.
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Looking at the back of my new Mommsen's (pic below), I was absolutely delighted to discover that the set was once owned by clergy at Santi Cosma e Damiano, the church in in the Roman Forum dedicated to the two Greek martyred doctors, and that is actually the ancient Roman building of the Temple of Romulus built in 309 BC, on the foundations of the more ancient temple of Jupiter Stator, founded by Romulus after a battle in the Forum area between the Romans and Sabines, and was the location of the Senate house where Cicero delivered his oration against the tyrant Cataline.
Talk about pedigree! ;D
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Looking at the back of my new Mommsen's (pic below), I was absolutely delighted to discover that the set was once owned by clergy at Santi Cosma e Damiano, the church in in the Roman Forum dedicated to the two Greek martyred doctors, and that is actually the ancient Roman building of the Temple of Romulus built in 309 BC, on the foundations of the more ancient temple of Jupiter Stator, founded by Romulus after a battle in the Forum area between the Romans and Sabines, and was the location of the Senate house where Cicero delivered his oration against the tyrant Cataline.
Talk about pedigree! ;D
Hi folks,
I agree. That's amazing.
Meepzorp
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Mark Antony: A Plain Blunt Man by Paolo De Ruggiero was just released and I got my copy the other day.
The books goal is to strip away the Augustan propaganda and centuries of stereotype to reveal the real Man. I just finished the introduction and if it is any indication of the rest of the book I will enjoy this one very much.
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Mark Antony: A Plain Blunt Man by Paolo De Ruggiero was just released and I got my copy the other day.
The books goal is to strip away the Augustan propaganda and centuries of stereotype to reveal the real Man. I just finished the introduction and if it is any indication of the rest of the book I will enjoy this one very much.
Have you read Cicero´s oratios against M.Antony ? Not as popular as those against Catilina but interesting.
Not much of a man :evil:. And quite vindictive when he ordered the assasination of one of the greatest Roman politicians. :'(
BTW, reading and translating Cicero´s De Republica was the origin of my Roman coins collection. +++
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Yes I have! Vindictive? Yes. Cicero claimed his father was a thief, ordered the murder (without trial) of his step-father and orchestrated the downfall of his uncle by expelling him from the Senate. I say Cicero made his bed :evil:
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Cícero was the last of the great Republicans.
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I am with Benito on this. Though he had strong tendencies of being an arrogant prat I am still a huge Cicero fan and MA's murder of him is a serious black mark. So my MA is always the Richard Burton type in Cleopatra - not one to mourn for.
Of course it is having just such a bias that means I should probably read a good new Mark Antony bio.
Shawn
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I am with Benito on this. Though he had strong tendencies of being an arrogant prat I am still a huge Cicero fan and MA's murder of him is a serious black mark. So my MA is always the Richard Burton type in Cleopatra - not one to mourn for.
Of course it is having just such a bias that means I should probably read a good new Mark Antony bio.
Shawn
Then I would suggest Pat Southern's book on Antony or the one above.
Funny, Octavian proscribed just as many if not more people and yet everyone focuses on Antony's murder of Cicero....
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Mark Antony: A Plain Blunt Man by Paolo De Ruggiero was just released and I got my copy the other day.
The books goal is to strip away the Augustan propaganda and centuries of stereotype to reveal the real Man. I just finished the introduction and if it is any indication of the rest of the book I will enjoy this one very much.
Finished this one while in Italy. I did enjoy it very much although I found at times the translation from Italian to English was a bit cumbersome. At a few points I had to read sentences over again to figure out what was being said and it had the Italianized Latin name for many people and places rather than the common English name. It was kind of like reading the English translation of the Italian text at a Roman site in The forum :). The whole book wasn't like that, only a few sentences here and there. Having said that it still is a very good biography of Antony and uses Cicero's own Philippics to show Antony's competency as a General and administrator. It also shows him in a much more moderate light politically as opposed to Octavian. A man who kept to his word and was trustworthy. I think people who are interested in the Imperatorial era will enjoy it.
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Just received my copy of Mary Beards "SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome". I'm only on chapter 4 but what a read! She writes the same way she speaks so it's funny, interesting and very informative!
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I listened to an audio book of that one this past summer! It's quite good. At first I was a bit confused as to why she stops at 212 AD, but her rationale matches her title pretty well. Like she says early on in the book, by the time Caracalla made every male in the Empire a citizen, it wasn't really the same Senatus Populusque Romanus anymore.
Her sections on the early history of Rome are especially excellent.
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I read it a few months ago. Definitely a good read. She poses some important questions.
Shawn
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Beard approaches her subjects with critical thinking skills that some of her colleagues sadly lack. Rarely do you find that in an author writing history for a popular audience!
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Just published, I received my copy today:
Andrew Burnett – Andrew McCabe
An early Roman struck bronze with a helmeted goddess and an eagle
in
Nomismata, Studi di Numismatica antica offerti ad Aldina Cutroni Tusa per il suo novantatreesimo compleanno
Lavinia Sole, Sebastiano Tusa eds
Screenshots below:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32118129203/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32118135873/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32779348412/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32892374096/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32089563134/in/photostream/
available here
http://www.arborsapientiae.com/libro/19647/nomismata-studi-di-numismatica-antica-a-cura-di-lavinia-sole-e-sebastiano-tusa.html
Andrew
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Just published, I received my copy today:
Andrew Burnett – Andrew McCabe
An early Roman struck bronze with a helmeted goddess and an eagle
in
Nomismata, Studi di Numismatica antica offerti ad Aldina Cutroni Tusa per il suo novantatreesimo compleanno
Lavinia Sole, Sebastiano Tusa eds
Screenshots below:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32118129203/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32118135873/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32779348412/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32892374096/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahala_rome/32089563134/in/photostream/
available here
http://www.arborsapientiae.com/libro/19647/nomismata-studi-di-numismatica-antica-a-cura-di-lavinia-sole-e-sebastiano-tusa.html
Andrew
Congratulations, Andrew. I was wondering where the heck you've been, but it appears you've been extra busy!
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Congratulations, Andrew. I was wondering where the heck you've been, but it appears you've been extra busy!
Thanks Nick - there's been myriad reasons for my relative silence. For info, the article is available in its entirety on Academia.edu. It's highly relevant to Ptolemaic as well as early Roman numismatics.
https://www.academia.edu/31464952/Burnett-McCabe_An_early_Roman_struck_bronze_with_a_helmeted_goddess_and_an_eagle_in_Nomismata_Studi_di_Numismatica_antica_offerti_ad_Aldina_Cutroni_Tusa_per_il_suo_novantatreesimo_compleanno
(will require log on to Academia)
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I think I'll have to buy the book- the essays all look interesting. I'm especially interested in Cantilena's essay on the Sileraians. Let's hope the international shipping doesn't bankrupt me!
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The author just sent me the article. Although he wasn't aware of our work, he used my coin (avatar) as a plate coin :)