Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus

by Philip Matyszak

Book Overview

New in paperback, here is a highly readable account of 56 of the extraordinary characters whose lives were the defining threads in the great adventure and final tragedy that was the Roman Republic. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0500051216
• ISBN13: 9780500051214
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.0" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Introduction to the Roman Republic

The history of the Roman republic--a story about how one city in Italy overthrew a monarchy, conquered her neighbors, united Italy, defeated all her rivals in the Mediterranean, and descended into civil war and ultimately monarchy again--presents a formidable challenge to any beginner. The republic itself was a political entity so complex it bewildered foreigners and Romans alike. Its magistrates--a dazzling succession of consuls, suffect consuls, dictators, praetors, aediles, tribunes and special commissioners stretching over nearly 500 years--were too numerous for even the Romans (who were otherwise quite happy to list these sorts of things) to bother recording them all. Finally, the evidence of who these men were and what, when, where, and why they did what they did lies scattered across coins, temple inscriptions, grave markers, bronze tablets, pottery sherds, and written histories that as often seek to justify as to inform. To reconstruct this fragmentary and sometimes unreliable evidence into an integrated narrative is far too daunting for even the most intelligent and motivated student, which is why anyone interested in beginning to take up the task should begin with The Chronicle of the Roman Republic by Philip Matyszak. Dr. Philip 'Maty' Matyszak, an Oxford-educated historian and author of Enemies of Rome from Hannibal to Atilla the Hun, Sons of Caesar: Rome's Julio-Claudian Emperors, and the eagerly-awaited Political Sociology of the Roman Republic from Sulla to Augustus, has written a highly-readable, entertaining, and informative chronicle of the leading magistrates of the Roman republic. In 231 pages, Matyszak narrates the lives of 57 Roman leaders, beautifully embellished with 293 illustrations (98 in color), including maps, military diagrams, photographs of modern sites, coins, gems, mosaics, portrait sculptures, ancient weapons, ships, household artifacts, inscriptions, and modern paintings depicting Republican themes (such as the deputation to Cincinnatus and the suicide of Cato). After a brief introduction covering "Republican Virtues" and "The Rise of Rome", the Chronicle is organized into four parts: the regal period, the founding of the republic, the wars of expansion, and the era of Caesar. The basic units of each section are devoted to a single Roman leader, including the famous (Scipio, Marius, Sulla, Cicero, Caesar, Brutus), the should-be-famous (Poplicola, Camillus, Marcellus, Livius Drusus, Sertorius), the historically important (Appius Claudius, Flamininus, the Gracchi), the notorious (Flaminius, Galba, Saturninus, Clodius), the legendary (Romulus and Remus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Servius Tullius), and of course those figures of Roman virtus (Horatius Cocles, Cincinnatus, Regulus, and someone the author calls "Cato the Stoic") who defined the Republic for many generations of students. Helpfully, each of the 57 figures are placed on a proper timeline, and they are listed with basic genealogic

Fascinating coffee table reading

This book is a truly enjoyable book, summarizing the history and mythology of the early Roman Empire. Unlike many works on the topic, it does not attempt to get too scholarly or erudite, but just puts out what is important. I particularly like the attitude of the author of pointing out areas which are more likely legend than fact, but illustrating their importance as a manifestation of what the Romans believed. Chock full of modules, photos, drawings, and graphics, this is an ideal sourcebook that can be read in one long siting, from time to time, or simply as a resource. The best thing about the book is it contains numerous tidbits of Roman history that relate to the Modern World and convert into excellent cocktail party or watercooler talk. Wonder how the tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold began ? Read the chapter on the Sabine Women. Curious about the naming of the months ? The derivation of a "sardonic grin" ? "candidate: ? I am just tipping the iceberg, here. Everything from the Punic Wars, to the operation of the Roman government, to how to wear a toga is in here. Enjoy and learn.

One of the Best I've seen

I've read a lot of books on ancient Rome--everything from primary sources like Tacitus to Gibbon to modern scholarship. This book, quite frankly, stands out above them all.It is very accurate factually, it explains some things (like Roman naming conventions, symbols, etc) that are hard to find in a straight-forward way in other books. Also, it doesn't fall into the trap of simply giving us the history of a few famous men--it does a comprehensive job of all parts of the early republic. Nor does it fall into the trap of segmenting early Rome into conventional "eras" (Kings, Punic War, Civil Wars, etc). It simply makes chapters according to the chronology and makes even some of the less well known parts of early Rome interesting.It handles both military/political history and cultural/religious history. Overall, as an experienced reader on ancient Rome this is both a great introductory book as well as handling more advanced aspects of Roman history.

Great Book!

The Chronicle of the Roman Republic is a great book. If you enjoy history, this book is for you. Most of us are familiar with the Emperors of the Roman Empire such as Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula, but many people do not know about the times before the Emperors came into power. This book dives into the Republic of Rome covering every aspect of life from those times. The first chapter of the book is on the kings of Rome. The founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus are in this chapter. The kings came right before the beginning of the Republic. The next chapters of the book tell how the Republic was created and how it eventually ended. What is so good about this book is that it tells you every leader of Rome and gives them each their own profile. The famous leaders such as Pompey the Great, Crassus, Sulla and Julius Caesar are inculded in the book. Even lesser known people are shown, such as Cato the Censor and Spartacus. Not only does this book cover who the leaders were, but it tells you about Romes birth as a city, Romes many enemies, such as the Sabines and Etruscans, Romes accomplishments as a city and Romes great archicture. This book is a great addition to any history lovers collection. A great book that would go with this one is called Chronicles of the Roman Emperors. This book covers the time after the fall of the Republic to the eventual fall of Roman Empire. This book contains the same interesting features that this book has.

A fascinating and impressively accessible historical study

Chronicle Of The Roman Republic: The Rulers Of Ancient Rome From Romulus To Augustus by Roman history expert Philip Matyszak is a fascinating and impressively accessible historical study of the fifty-seven kings, consuls, and tribunes who ruled during Rome's gradual evolution and transformation from a republic into that of an empire. From such famous figures such as Julius Caesar, to lesser-known leaders like Cato the Censor, these Roman leader's great deeds, cruelties, and political acts that shaped the flow of history for good or for ill are straightforwardly presented in this highly recommended, pictorially illustrated, historical survey, which was written for (and is especially recommended to the attention of) non-specialist general readers.