The Romans and Their World: A Short Introduction

by Brian Campbell

Drawing on an array of ancient sources, and covering topics of interest to readers with little prior background in Roman history as well as those already familiar with the great civilization, Brian Campbell provides a fascinating and wide-ranging introduction to the world of ancient Rome.

“A lucid survey of Roman history.”—Adam Kirsch, New Yorker
 
“One of the great joys of Campbell’s unfailingly readable account is the readiness with which it returns to the Roman record, drawing on ancient sources to give a lively and immediate feel for Roman life and culture.”—Michael Kerrigan, Scotsman

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[T.R. Cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short introduction is an accurate subtitle.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish more time was spent on the a daily life (especially religion, family, and daily nuances). Written dryly but not bad. Just not super engaging.

[Seth D Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's bound to be a dense matter to compress about a millennium of history into 250 or so pages, so this is a little dry, except of course the parts where he dutifully ticks of Game-of-Thrones-level chains of assassinations and counter-coups. It turns out a very small minority of Roman emperors died from something other than murder or suicide.

So: a bit of a slog but worth reading. I knew very little about the Roman empire and way less about the prior Republic before reading this.

[Antonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very interested in Roman history and culture, but found this intolerably dry. Best for someone who likes their history straight -- names, dates, battles, laws, and finances. Short on anecdote, personality, color.

[WarpDrive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book. Quite interesting and informative. I would have loved a bit more details but overall it was a rewarding read.

[Biff Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed it! Very dense but concise. The big flaw is it covers the entire 1000+ year history in just 300 or so pages and you can really feel the details that were left out...