Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Random House (2012), Edition: 1st Edition, 512 pages
Description
Rome's decline and fall have long fascinated historians, but the story of how the empire was won is every bit as compelling. Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.E., Rome grew to become the ancient world's preeminent power. Historian Anthony Everitt fashions the story of Rome's rise to glory into an erudite page-turner filled with lessons for our time. He paints indelible portraits of the great Romans--and non-Romans--who left their mark on the Roman world. He chronicles the clash between patricians and plebeians that defined the politics of the Republic. He shows how Rome's shrewd strategy of offering citizenship to her defeated subjects was instrumental in expanding the reach of her burgeoning empire. And he outlines the corrosion of constitutional norms that accompanied Rome's imperial expansion, as old habits of political compromise gave way, leading to violence and civil war. In the end, unimaginable wealth and power corrupted the traditional virtues of the Republic, and Rome was left triumphant everywhere except within its own borders.--From publisher description.… (more)
Media reviews
"An engrossing history of a relentlessly pugnacious city’s 500-year rise to empire."
User reviews
LibraryThing member Gold_Gato
This is a good beginner's guide to the history of ancient Rome, without getting too worked up about it. There is nothing particularly special about it, but then again the aim of the book is to provide a chronological overview of how the Romans really came about without having the reader take on
Everitt has broken up the book into Legend, Story, and History, which makes it easy on the reader (and very logical). Now, when it comes to 'legend', ancient Rome has it over everyone else. Any nation that can start their beginnings with the Trojan War is going to be pretty illustrious. However, the author has a hard time bringing the magic alive for that section. Virgil, of course, would be a better read but I expected more. Whether it's the Romans who migrated from Troy or the Etruscans (I vote for Tuscany), we DO know there was a migration from the geographic area of ancient Troy, thanks to DNA analysis. So why isn't the first chapter more, um, "alive"?
The second chapter gets going a bit, as there are better historical sources to base the evidence. Still, I yearned for more and started thinking of the Starbucks comparison. The third chapter picks up dramatically and saves the book from a lower rating. Even though he could have done so much more, Everitt has some zingers for the latter portion of the Republic, and I applaud him for his new thinking about the Gracchi, who are usually portrayed as dangerous revolutionaries. It is here that we begin to see the corrosion of the ideals of Cincinnatus and when Gaius Marius and Sulla ("Sulla is a mulberry sprinkled with barley meal") step into the picture, it's okay to forget time and space and just concentrate on the book.
There is a brief afterword focusing on Cicero and Varro...so brief I don't know why it's there except to quote The Whiner (Cicero) on the loss of the Republic. The Sources, Bibliography, and Notes are excellent and quite helpful. Still, I wanted more. So much more.
"His words have won me more cities than my own military campaigns."
(Pyrrhus on Cineas)
I wanted more cities, not a tall latte.
Book Season = Autumn (Hannibal is at the gates)
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several different historical sources. It's the Starbucks coffee version of a much bigger undertaking...fast-food with some CDs at the counter.Everitt has broken up the book into Legend, Story, and History, which makes it easy on the reader (and very logical). Now, when it comes to 'legend', ancient Rome has it over everyone else. Any nation that can start their beginnings with the Trojan War is going to be pretty illustrious. However, the author has a hard time bringing the magic alive for that section. Virgil, of course, would be a better read but I expected more. Whether it's the Romans who migrated from Troy or the Etruscans (I vote for Tuscany), we DO know there was a migration from the geographic area of ancient Troy, thanks to DNA analysis. So why isn't the first chapter more, um, "alive"?
The second chapter gets going a bit, as there are better historical sources to base the evidence. Still, I yearned for more and started thinking of the Starbucks comparison. The third chapter picks up dramatically and saves the book from a lower rating. Even though he could have done so much more, Everitt has some zingers for the latter portion of the Republic, and I applaud him for his new thinking about the Gracchi, who are usually portrayed as dangerous revolutionaries. It is here that we begin to see the corrosion of the ideals of Cincinnatus and when Gaius Marius and Sulla ("Sulla is a mulberry sprinkled with barley meal") step into the picture, it's okay to forget time and space and just concentrate on the book.
There is a brief afterword focusing on Cicero and Varro...so brief I don't know why it's there except to quote The Whiner (Cicero) on the loss of the Republic. The Sources, Bibliography, and Notes are excellent and quite helpful. Still, I wanted more. So much more.
"His words have won me more cities than my own military campaigns."
(Pyrrhus on Cineas)
I wanted more cities, not a tall latte.
Book Season = Autumn (Hannibal is at the gates)
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LibraryThing member le.vert.galant
This book gave me exactly what I wanted: an understanding of how the literary histories of the Roman Republic worked as a single narrative. For example, how the founding legends of Aeneas and Romulus cohere and how the city-state grew. I thought the earlier chapters were superior to the later,
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post-Hannibal sections. The conquest of the Hellenistic east could have used a bit more detail. The writing is straightforward, rather than distinctive, but the book is recommended for anyone who'd like an organized presentation of the facts. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
This is exactly the sort of history I dislike. It distills highly dramatic and epic events to a bare essence like a Wikipedia summary. Then proceeds through centuries of events and persons, one after the next given cursory treatment. And doesn't provide much content or analysis. It's aimed at the
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beginner as an introduction, but you will likely forget most of it as there is little to hang memory on. Everitt can't be entirely faulted as it's hard to make something like this into a sum greater than the parts, and oh so many parts given the scattering of sources. But this is a fairly uninspired conservative attempt, though the writing to its credit can be lively at times. Show Less
LibraryThing member la2bkk
One of the finest books on the history of Rome I have read. Highly recommended.
This book covers the origins of Rome from its earliest days of the semi historic kings through the fall of the republic. The author has a simple, concise and easy reading style which is both interesting and informative.
While a book of this scope cannot go into great depth, the author succinctly covers all important persons and historical developments. Highly recommended for those like myself with a significant background in this area, and for a novice just beginning his interest in Roman history.
This book covers the origins of Rome from its earliest days of the semi historic kings through the fall of the republic. The author has a simple, concise and easy reading style which is both interesting and informative.
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His narrative flows extremely well, something not often found in a book which is essentially a historical survey spanning many centuries.While a book of this scope cannot go into great depth, the author succinctly covers all important persons and historical developments. Highly recommended for those like myself with a significant background in this area, and for a novice just beginning his interest in Roman history.
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LibraryThing member jcvogan1
Very readable. A bit more of a critical view on Rome than I have found in other books.
LibraryThing member Anniik
W/CW: Violence, brutality, torture, slavery, murder, suicide, sexual assault
RATING: 4/5
REVIEW: The Rise of Rome follows the history of Rome from its foundation myths with Aeneas, Romulus and Remus, to the fall of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. It examines not only the history, but also
I enjoyed this book, and learned a lot from it about times in Roman history that I do not know well. It was a little dry at points, but they felt necessary to the story. It was also frustrating to hear of all the great works of literature that have been lost, but of course that is the fault of time and not the author! The book is written for a general audience, and not just historians.
I recommend this book to history lovers and those interested in Roman culture and history.
RATING: 4/5
REVIEW: The Rise of Rome follows the history of Rome from its foundation myths with Aeneas, Romulus and Remus, to the fall of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. It examines not only the history, but also
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the myths the Romans created about their own history and the ways that they justified their more brutal actions to themselves and to the world.I enjoyed this book, and learned a lot from it about times in Roman history that I do not know well. It was a little dry at points, but they felt necessary to the story. It was also frustrating to hear of all the great works of literature that have been lost, but of course that is the fault of time and not the author! The book is written for a general audience, and not just historians.
I recommend this book to history lovers and those interested in Roman culture and history.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
512 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
1400066638 / 9781400066636
Local notes
FB