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15th out of 109 books
—
11 voters
The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire
From Anthony Everitt, the bestselling author of acclaimed biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian, comes a riveting, magisterial account of Rome and its remarkable ascent from an obscure agrarian backwater to the greatest empire the world has ever known.
Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to...more
Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to...more
Hardcover, 480 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Random House
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I am a nerd. And my love (bordering on obsession?) for Ancient Rome has even made me more of a nerd. Not many people my age (or any age for that matter) possess this kind of dedication to the memory of one of the greatest empires the world has ever known (this is a fact and not pure gushing on my part).
It is because of this love (not just for Ancient Rome, but for history in general) that I recommend The Rise of Rome to other enthusiasts of Ancient Roman history and culture. The way Anthony Eve...more
It is because of this love (not just for Ancient Rome, but for history in general) that I recommend The Rise of Rome to other enthusiasts of Ancient Roman history and culture. The way Anthony Eve...more
No I really can't read two books simultaneously but I have one that I read when at home and Count Belisarius is the current eBook that I am reading while I am travelling. I avoided going to ebooks as I love the heft, texture and smell of a real book but kept finishing up a book in mid flight and stuck with nothing to read but the air sickness bag! The ebooks are great for travellers as you can seamlessly switch on to the next book. Will never fully give up on the real thing though!
A solid overview of Republican Rome.
Everitt, especially in looking at the early years of the republic, and the ancient authorial sources, breaks their writing, like Caesar's Gaul, into three parts:
1. The largely to entirely mythical
2. The mythical by nature, but reflecting a historical core
3. The largely historical
And, with that, tells how the city grew to become a city-state and more.
A large part of this is discussing Roman politics: consuls, plebian tribunes, pleb, patricians (and knights) as...more
Everitt, especially in looking at the early years of the republic, and the ancient authorial sources, breaks their writing, like Caesar's Gaul, into three parts:
1. The largely to entirely mythical
2. The mythical by nature, but reflecting a historical core
3. The largely historical
And, with that, tells how the city grew to become a city-state and more.
A large part of this is discussing Roman politics: consuls, plebian tribunes, pleb, patricians (and knights) as...more
The book starts out with letters between Cicero and Varro writing each other about the lack of virtue in their own generation during the civil wars that would eventually lead to the rule of Agustus. The book traces the arc from the beginings of a small city state with a somewhat devolved republic growing throughout Italy meeting opposition of people around them and conquering them. They integrated these people into the Roman state on fairly liberal terms. This helped the growing power of Rome m...more
I'm reeeeely happy with this book! I had decided that I needed to spruce up my pathetically inadequate knowledge of Roman History and this book is just perfect for what I needed. It is written in a direct manner that doesn't put style ahead of substance, but keeps your attention on the subject at hand. It is divided into three simple sections. The first is labelled "legends" and is the Roman's own myth of the founding of the city. However, as he recounts the myth, the author also gives us archeo...more
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I give Anthony Everitt credit for taking on this subject, which has largely remained untouched in the field of classical studies: that of the rise of Rome. Gibbon himself said that it was among the two most puzzling aspects of this society-the other being its fall of course a rite of passage for any classical scholar. The rise, however is harder, much harder: legend and fact are so intimate in the early days of Rome that it is very difficult, if not impossible to separate the two successfully. E...more
Rome: het ontstaan van een wereldrijk
Wat is mythe? Wat is werkelijkheid? In Geboorte van Rome beschrijft historicus Anthony Everitt het ontstaan van de stad Rome. Volgens de befaamde legende waren het de tweelingbroers Romulus en Remus die de stad stichtten. Gezoogd door een wolvin nadat ze te vondeling waren gelegd, besloten ze eenmaal volwassen een stad te stichten op de plek waar ze door de herder Faustulus gevonden waren: Rome.
In Geboorte van Rome heeft Everitt (bekend van zijn biografieën o...more
Wat is mythe? Wat is werkelijkheid? In Geboorte van Rome beschrijft historicus Anthony Everitt het ontstaan van de stad Rome. Volgens de befaamde legende waren het de tweelingbroers Romulus en Remus die de stad stichtten. Gezoogd door een wolvin nadat ze te vondeling waren gelegd, besloten ze eenmaal volwassen een stad te stichten op de plek waar ze door de herder Faustulus gevonden waren: Rome.
In Geboorte van Rome heeft Everitt (bekend van zijn biografieën o...more
As a history major – and especially as one who enjoys classical Rome – finding a solid, yet easily readable, narrative on the early history of the Roman Republic has been a goal of mine. Adrian Goldsworthy’s “How Rome Fell” is an excellent source on the later Roman Empire, but the early phases of the Republic, combined with the mythological underpinnings that the people of Rome they themselves believed, can make this opening difficult for beginners on the subject. I would highly recommend Anthon...more
What makes this book great for me is that Everitt parses out myth and legend and story and history. Not only does he practically assess the causes of our common impressions of the rise and fall of the Roman republic, he takes them to task.
In "The Rise of Rome," we see both images; the lionized grandeur of a formative republic and its senate and the hypocrisy of Roman ideals. We see things through the eyes of the Roman elite as well as through those of their enemies. Regretably, we've no concept...more
In "The Rise of Rome," we see both images; the lionized grandeur of a formative republic and its senate and the hypocrisy of Roman ideals. We see things through the eyes of the Roman elite as well as through those of their enemies. Regretably, we've no concept...more
same excellent style (Cicero, Augustus) that makes it hard to put down; on the other hand while the mythical beginnings are covered well, the book starts becoming very diluted after that and even the narrative pull suffers. There are still some good parts - the story of Pyrhus for example, but by the Punic Wars the book becomes really mediocre and you can read Wikipedia for better stuff.
Overall for early Rome, I still recommend the extant Titus Livius (Livy) on which i grew up, but this book wil...more
Overall for early Rome, I still recommend the extant Titus Livius (Livy) on which i grew up, but this book wil...more
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I am using this review space differently: For now just an introduction to Anthony Everitt's The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire. I have read Everitt's biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian. I will be weaving this book into my readings of those books and other non-fiction and a few fictional books about Greece, Rome, Hellenization and the rise of the early christian church, Alexandria, and Egypt.
On pp. 22-23, Everitt describes the political organization of the early...more
On pp. 22-23, Everitt describes the political organization of the early...more
This is a thorough, readable, and informative chronological narrative concerning early Roman history from its mythical founding in 753 BC by Romulus' murder of his brother Remus to the end of the Republic and the establishing of the Principate by Augustus in the early 1st century AD.
Everitt has a written a number of books on Roman history, particularly historical biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian. He is not a professional historian per se, and his work is meant more for a general than...more
Everitt has a written a number of books on Roman history, particularly historical biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian. He is not a professional historian per se, and his work is meant more for a general than...more
Parts of this were great and other parts not so great. But overall I enjoyed it..I especially enjoyed the non-war parts because the war parts..just get boring. It is hard for academics to write for a non-academic audience. Everitt is a great writer. And even though I got tired of the war parts I really found the stuff on Hannibal very interesting.
But it needs so many more maps...why aren't there ever enough maps? I know they are expensive to add but crimminy it's a book on the EXPANSION of Rome...more
But it needs so many more maps...why aren't there ever enough maps? I know they are expensive to add but crimminy it's a book on the EXPANSION of Rome...more
I probably would have given this 4 stars if not for the rushed ending. The book is about the rise of Rome as a world empire, from it's beginnings to the fall of the Republic. The author spends considerable time going over the various wars (Punic, Macedonian, Carthage), but gives short shrift of the last 100 years of the Republic. The years of Marius and Sulla go by in less than a chapter, and at the end of that chapter we get two pages of Caesar and Augustus. The last pages could have read "Ther...more
Good general history of the Roman Republic from the earliest years to the time of Caesar. Everett is a good popular historian and this is great as a refresher course on the growth of Roman power. The good and the bad is that Everett tries to pack a lot into the books 400 pages. The mythical beginnings are well covered. The actual evolution from city state to empire is a bit haphazard. Any real depth stops with the deaths of Marius and Sulla. The Pompey/Crassus/Caesar period is covered in a few p...more
A very 'readable' survey of the history of Rome and the Empire. This is one of the better starter books for a serious perusal of the history that is at the root of Western Civilization.
The book could have been improved with more footnotes/endnotes and more detailed references. This is not intended as such a book so it succeeds well as constructed. There is quite a variation in the work regarding depth of detail and granularity, but most of this is for a purpose. A good example is the naming conv...more
The book could have been improved with more footnotes/endnotes and more detailed references. This is not intended as such a book so it succeeds well as constructed. There is quite a variation in the work regarding depth of detail and granularity, but most of this is for a purpose. A good example is the naming conv...more
I've always been interested in the history of ancient civilizations, and with this book, Everitt has addressed many of the questions I've had in the back of my mind of the origins of Rome. Beginning as a humble Latin village, in less than seven centuries it rose to become a powerful city state, a regional power as a Republic, and finally, the greatest Empire of ancient western civilization. There is much we can learn about Rome's beginnings and the dangers of losing a national identity in the at...more
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 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...more
Everitt has broken up the book into Legend, Story, and History...more
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, 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...more
A fun read! I understand why some more conventional historians would oppose the meshing of myth and fact (and all the in-betweens), but I found it quite useful as a prequel for my recent trip to Rome. Everitt is right: unless you understand how the Romans understood themselves, a significant part of which was based on the mythic founding and founders of the city, it is hard to understand much of the classical iconography and architecture that you will find there.
I also couldn't help but think of...more
I also couldn't help but think of...more
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The Rise of Rome is an history of the Roman Republic from it's legendary and mythical start to its destruction with the dictatorship of Julius Caesar. This is a must read for any person interested in the history of this great people.
Anthony Everitt mixes both first hand accounts from people that actually lived during the events discussed in the book with his own analysis. Everitt's style allows for extremely compelling depictions of what life was like during this period in Rome's rise. Not only...more
Anthony Everitt mixes both first hand accounts from people that actually lived during the events discussed in the book with his own analysis. Everitt's style allows for extremely compelling depictions of what life was like during this period in Rome's rise. Not only...more
A great survey of the beginnings of the Roman Empire. The second half of the book was tremendous as it gave an overview of Rome's great battles with Greek powers and with Carthage. The earlier parts of the book deal more in legend than reality, and the author admits this up front. Having limited knowledge of this era of history, I found it hard to keep track of many of the names in the stories. It was not difficult reading, but because so little is known about so much, it was not always a fast o...more
This is a fine introduction to Rome from its mythical founding to the end of the Republic. A comparatively brief work, many events must be covered with little detail. Everitt focuses mainly on the political history of Rome, using some of the better known military history as a framework for a description of the political institutions of the state and their metamorphoses over time. There is a somewhat elegiac tone to this book. Everitt writes with wit and panache. Recommended highly.
I like this book. I learned lots of things I didn't know before. It is written well and I expect reader who doesn't know much about area would be able to follow.
I gave a 3 because it was advertised as a rise of of Rome while it is really one more book about history of Rome. It goes from Troy to the Constantinople.
I expected it will cover mix of Etruscan civilization and Greek migration. What was special with Rome or different from other Hellenic city states.
I gave a 3 because it was advertised as a rise of of Rome while it is really one more book about history of Rome. It goes from Troy to the Constantinople.
I expected it will cover mix of Etruscan civilization and Greek migration. What was special with Rome or different from other Hellenic city states.
Everittt does it again! Known for his biographies of great Romans, this time Everitt tackles the "biography" of Roma herself. This book focuses on the *rise* of Rome, perhaps assuming that her decline and fall have already been covered at some length since the time of Gibbon. There is probably little need for the average Classicist to read this one - I found it contained little I didn't already know - but it is exceptionally well-told and arranged, and I would now consider this book a must-read...more
Overall, interesting. Full of anecdotes about the Ancient world and, perhaps more interesting, with enough analysis to make sense of quarrels and of personalities. Quick, who was ruler of Bythina in 123 B.C.? Which oracle, other than Delphi, encouraged the Roman potentates in their quest for (known) world hegemony? Why did Carthage get levelled, and when? Was Mithridathes the name of a eunuch at the Seleguc court? etc. On the negative side, there are many prime events, such as the fight against...more
This book took a long time to read. It just didn't grab my attention, but I kept at it and slogged through it. The author knows what he is talking about, but he doesn't know how to explain it, in an palatable way, to someone who doesn't know the subject.
Honestly, I do not believe there was one entire page that was engaging. A lot of names and short little tidbits of interesting facts that got my attention of good things to come, but evaporated in the very next sentence. Disappointingly, the Kind...more
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Quick, easy read on the early history of Rome. Everitt has a simple style that is easy to read whether you majored in history or not. This book is a surface treatment but I particularly enjoyed the first few chapters dealing with the early "history" of Rome as that rarely gets much dedicated to it. Again, just an introductary book to the time period but one worth reading.
I still really like his Augustus book the best. This was good and went through the history of the Republic in three parts. There was a high level of discussion in the Punic wars and I just finished Carthage Must Be Destroyed, so I found those parts to be rather redundant. All and all a good over view. I also enjoyed his section on daily life in the republican period.
I was not at all impressed with this book.
The prose was mediocre. As a nonfiction book, I had A LOT of concerns as to where he was getting the bulk of his text. The sourcing & footnoting as to where he got the bulk of his text was unclear at best. The author's commentary and analysis as to the subject matter was practically nonexistent.
The prose was mediocre. As a nonfiction book, I had A LOT of concerns as to where he was getting the bulk of his text. The sourcing & footnoting as to where he got the bulk of his text was unclear at best. The author's commentary and analysis as to the subject matter was practically nonexistent.
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Feb 16, 2013 12:20am