Ancient Rome: A New History

by David Stone Potter

A highly readable new history of Rome from its origins to the reign of Justinian. How did the Roman world develop from a small number of people living on the banks of the Tiber to an empire encompassing some sixty-four million people spread from one end of the Mediterranean to the other? How did the Romans themselves understand this development, and did that understanding evolve over time?

Incorporating contributions from economics, archaeology, anthropology, and literary criticism, David Potter’s thought-provoking and accessible text shows students how Roman history works. The book is beautifully illustrated with maps, battle plans, portraits, paintings, sculpture, and more, and includes many quotes from original sources.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Textbooks

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

David Potter is the author of Constantine the Emperor and The Victor’s Crown: A History of Ancient Sport from Homer to Byzantium. He is the Francis W. Kelsey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Roman History and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan.

Reviews

[Hank Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the best part of this book is the "recommended reading" list.

[Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good and thorough handling of Ancient Rome. I found it particularly readable which was very refreshing. Potter gives a lot of good insight and explains some connections that I otherwise would not have seen. The Roman ideal that great men must put their ambition in the service of the state, the confirmation of the potential two kings; one religious and one political at one time, the paranoia of the outside world that kept the state together and encouraged conquest, how Roman religion was a hodgepodge thing, and ultimately just how much of early Roman historical understanding is based purely on assumptions and conjectures were all eye-openers for me. What was disappointing was his declaration that the Roman Empire ended when the Arab invasions of the 7th century were triumphant. This dismisses a rich history of people who called themselves and whose enemies called them Romans right up until 1453.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

As historical tertiary sources go- this one is alright. Though- I can’t really really blame Potter for the book’s bland diction, with it being a textbook and all.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of ancient Rome can be overwhelming, both in its detail and for the number of centuries in question. This book is an excellent one-volume survey of Roman history, well illustrated, and with a fair number of excerpts from diverse ancient texts. The book is heavily focused on political events, first of the Republic and then the Empire, but there is a good amount of coverage of economic and social history as well. There are brief discussions of the major literary figures from various eras as well. This book is recommended for anyone who is looking for a short introduction to the ancient Roman world.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent introductory text to the expanse of Roman History. He covers many things very well, and should be applauded for his ability to cover such a large topic in so few pages. I would absolutely recommend pairing his work with others, however, as his Marxist tendencies lend themselves with the socio-political history and are his downfall with regards to the imperial-military history of Rome.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly good textbook, but a bit too narrative for my liking - especially for such a long and complex subject as the history of Rome. I prefer a textbook to have more structure and to eliminate some of the minor names and events in exchange for more interpretive framework. While some sections of the textbook were excellent, I think many of my students were overwhelmed by its content.

[sr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some aspects of this book were good, clearly Mr. Potter did some independent thinking. However I sensed a lack of deference toward the Christian themes of the History of Rome. Also distinctly present is a thinly veil irony, which gets somewhat tiresome.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a richly detailed history without boring the reader with minutiae. Excellent maps, key quotes from authors.

[Natalie Griffitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit opinionated, but a very easy to read text that covers many perspectives of the history of the Roman empire.