Good Book on Ancient Rome?

[PimpyMicPimp]

First off, sorry if this isn't considered the right place. I don't usually leave the Civ 4 boards so this is a new world to me. I figured I'd ask here over off-topic since I think this thread has more relevance here than amongst threads about microwaving ants

Anyways, for Xmas I got a gift certificate for chapters and I think I'd like to get a good, hardcover book on Rome, since it's a never ending source of facinationg to me. Any suggestions? It doesn't absolutly have to be hardcover, but my preliminary search (which I havn't put a whole lot of effort into, to be fair) didn't find much beyond tourist books.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Edward Gibbons The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is classic, but might not be a good first choice .

Adrian Goldsworthy's books are very interesting and entertaining. He deals a lot with military topics.

Tom Hollands Rubicon is worth checking out for trying to get inside ancient Rome and it's peoples mindset.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

Great! Thank you very much!

 

[ohcrapitsnico]

I'm not an expert on rome or anything but you may want try the oxford history of the roman world. Cheap and they are generally good.

 

[Richard Cribb]

I can warmly recommend this one.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Seems interesting, reserved that one from library.

 

[Azale]

I'm not an expert on rome or anything but you may want try the oxford history of the roman world. Cheap and they are generally good.

Yea, I'm reading A History of Europe from Oxford and it's pretty solid and comprehensive.

 

[innonimatu]

Ancient roman history is still polemic, especially the events during and after the time of the Gracchus brothers - they are too similar to present day political questions! But those events are essential to understand the fall of the Republic.

I won't recommend any particular book, but try to find one that coverts the Republic in depth.

 

[innonimatu]

double post...

 

[Atticus]

Hey! Now someone can probably answer the question I tries to ask already in the Book recommendation-thread: How should you read the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? Did Gibbon have attitudes that made him selective about "the facts" or something like that? How good is the book seen from modern perspective?

Actually those things doesnät matter to me as I read history as entertainment, but it's good to know if I'm going to show off to girls with my extraordinary knowledge...

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Well, it's pretty much a product of it's time and thats how i've been reading it. I've seen quite a lot critique especially about his "evil" bias towards Byzantines on latter volumes, and maybe some excess blame on Christianity. It's still quite impressive work.

 

[Dachs]

Well, it's pretty much a product of it's time and thats how i've been reading it. I've seen quite a lot critique especially about his "evil" bias towards Byzantines on latter volumes, and maybe some excess blame on Christianity. It's still quite impressive work.

Bias is an understatement of Gibbon's attitude.

A better book that examines the period from about 375 to 476 is Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire - A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, which also attempts to include a fair amount of relatively recent scholarship.

 

[Varsul]

I could recommend Rubicon by Tom Holland and The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy. Both are very interesting and cover some exciting times in roman history.
The Punic Wars covers the 3 wars between Rome and Carthage focusing primarily on the 2nd punic war.
Rubicon is a narrative that basically covers the 1st century bc in roman history. It centers on Julius Caesar but also covers people and events before and after his time. This was one of my favorites that I have read in a while.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Lucearaful's recommendation The Assassination of Julius Caesar, A People’s History of Ancient Rome was good but i think it helps to be familiar with history of late republic at least a bit before reading that one.

A better book that examines the period from about 375 to 476 is Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire - A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, which also attempts to include a fair amount of relatively recent scholarship.

Reserved this one, but it's gonna take a while to get it (good.. now i can try to finish other books).

 

[Dubai Vol]

Colleen McCulloch (author od "The Thorn Birds") wrote a series of historical fiction novels starting two generations or so before Julius Caesar and carrying through his life. Six books, a thousand pages each, I think. Heavy going to start but once you get immersed in the story it's a good read, and gives a real feel for the era IMO. The first one was "The Grass Crown" IIRC

 

[innonimatu]

Colleen McCulloch (author od "The Thorn Birds") wrote a series of historical fiction novels starting two generations or so before Julius Caesar and carrying through his life. Six books, a thousand pages each, I think. Heavy going to start but once you get immersed in the story it's a good read, and gives a real feel for the era IMO. The first one was "The Grass Crown" IIRC

That was the second volume, The First in Rome was the first volume. I think she did a great job with adapting roman history to fiction, but I wouldn't recommend the series to someone starting on roman history - her depiction of the characters involved is deep, and that would color any later readings of history books.

First impressions tend to stick. I started reading on Rome from some left-leaning french historian who wrote in the 60s (I've long lost the book and can't even recall the name of the author ), and was probably forever influenced by his view of the class conflicts during the Republic, that erupted with the Grachii and later Marius. As a consequence I disliked McCollough's reasonably sympathetic depiction of Sulla when I read her series...
Even now the interpretation of political struggles during the roman republics is disputed. And it looks like the book I first read is not outdated.