The Last Generation of the Roman Republic

by Erich S. Gruen

Erich Gruen's classic study of the late Republic examines institutions as well as personalities, social tensions as well as politics, the plebs and the army as well as the aristocracy.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Roman History, Classics, Classical Studies, Politics

596 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biggest problem with history is History. Writing the story of the events is replete with the spoilers that we see coming - the ones that none of the actors of the events understand. Scholars that write the books we read on any historical subject wrestle with this dilemma. The temptation to place (as inevitable causation), into said historical actors, the future events that seem so clear has ruined many a history book. Erich Gruen, in writing this exhaustive look at the final years of the Roman Republic, falls into no such trap.

I blame William Vollmann, as I have many times this year, on leading me down the rabbit hole to yet another rich tome tackling historical events that itch my truth seeking scratch. It became evident within the first 100 pages of Gruen's book why Vollmann referred to it (and footnoted it freely) in Volume 3 of his eponymous Rising Up and Rising Down: this author knows his shit. Of the 700+ pages in this book a good 1/3 are footnotes (in English, Latin, Greek and German). And while this book was clearly written for the world of academia (which is one of the reasons why it took my beer-addled brain so long to work through it), it is accessible in a way that made me much more enlightened, and extremely appreciative, of the massive undertaking to put a book like this together. Gruen takes 400 pages to lay-down the framework of his argument that nobody in final years of the Roman Republic (roughly, the years following the Sulla dictatorship until the Civil War fought between Caeser and Pompey - around 40 years or so) could see "the end" until it was, very literally, upon them. The final 100 pages of this book should be published as a separate treatise detailing Bruen's brilliant position. He picks apart his contemporaries' arguments on the other side of the coin so masterfully that by the time I reached his take on events, his arguments, I was ready to fully believe anything he posited, short of an alien invasion (and I'm not talking Visigoths here - that was still 450 years away).

A friend of mine noticed over a period of months this year that I was toting this beast around to read and he asked me why I had to make reading work when it should be fun. Philistine comment aside, he had a point - this book was work. Would I recommend it? Probably not to 99% of the people I know; but of that 1% that I would, 99% of that number are people here on GR that love a book that bites back. We know what it's like to be in the weeds with a chunk of the written word. I can't imagine what it would have been like trying to read this before the age of the Internet - without easy access to get a groundwork of the dramatis personae that the author assumes his reader knows intimately. If you are like me, an author making you feel dumb is a wonderful thing.



In 2006 my wife and I spent a month in Italy. I snapped the above picture of the Forum as the morning haze was dissipating and before the tourist throng descended. I felt an uncomfortable twang - perhaps similar to what Gibbon experienced as his muse to his magnum opus: just what the hell happened here? Eight years later Erich Gruen has helped to answer a portion of that question.

Another mark in the win column for you, Mr. Vollmann.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down this is one of the most interesting books on the Late Republic that has ever been written. Concentrating less on individuals, this book examines the social and political structures that kept the republic alive, such as the senate and the law courts, and marriage alliances. Gruen hands down demonstrates how the institutions created over the course of Roman history, but overhauled by Sulla were still operating in full force at the end of the Republic, according to the same rules that had always dominated the Roman political and social scene (in its upper classes). His account of the First Triumvirate and its political implications basically changed my view about how the First Triumvirate operated in Roman politics and what involvement in the Triumvirate ultimately meant for Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey. Very very interesting and highly recommended.

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. Gruen's work was originally published in 1974, but this, the first paperback edition, contains a updated Introduction written in 1995. In this seminal work, Gruen used his vast knowledge of Ancient Rome to examine the commonly accepted theories of the collapse of the Republic. He systematically challenges every theory in order to reveal their weaknesses and to validate his own thesis. His thesis states that until 50 B.C.E. there was nothing out of the ordinary in Roman politics, culture, or law that indicated civil war was coming or that the Republic was threatened. Although some of his arguments are convincing, in my opinion he does not make his case. I agree with him that any one of the theories he works to debunk may not have indicated the impending civil war; however, I feel he makes a grave error in not considering that it was the preponderance of stressors that indicated a serious threat to the Republic. In other words, it may very well be a case of "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Also, I cannot agree with him regarding the Roman military and the legions' relationships with their commanders, especially as regards Caesar. In this case and others, recent historical research has supported some of the theories that Gruen challenged. One final word, I applaud him pointing out that all researchers bring their own biases (consciously or otherwise) to their works, and that the time and culture in which they live directly affect their perspectives. The "Last Generation of the Roman Republic" is a must read for serious students of Ancient Rome. Note: This book is not really suited for the casual student or those just beginning to learn about Ancient Rome.

[Zachary Rudolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The writing of history is forever plagued by the temptations of hindsight. Knowledge of the issue invariably, if unconsciously, becomes the starting point of the search for antecedents. The method is hazardous and delusive. It is not easy to erase from the mind an image of Caesar the triumphant conqueror of Pompey, the victor in civil war, the successful survivor of the Republic's ruin."

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such Romans. Many names. Wow.

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes heavy to read, but the information, and perspectives are really useful for a big picture of the society and times we are dealing with.

When reading Roman History it is easy to make comparisons with the present but with the clarifications and examples provided, it gives the time and the people their own setting.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too prosopographical for my taste, but excellent scholarship that holds up well.

[Bonnie Elizabeth]

Read for grad school so I am leaving a rating off

[Vicki Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruen examines the institutions of the Roman Republic in the decades before Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and precipitated the civil war that ended the Republic. He looks at political alignments, elections, criminal trials, legislative activity, the plebs and the army, and concludes that the fall of the Republic wasn't inevitable, that there was no gradual decline, but that the civil war and its aftermath was so broad and damaging that the institutions of the state couldn't continue as they had for ages. Perhaps the personalities of the main players - Caesar, Pompey and Cato - were so strong and opposed that nothing could have prevented the final outcome. One of the most interesting and striking things about the book was the voluminous footnotes referencing Cicero's writings. Obviously if those hadn't been preserved, we would know much less about this period of history.

[James]

Gruen is almost too reluctant to draw conclusions.
As an archaeologist who studied history even older, I agree with both that argument against seeing known history as a foregone conclusion and the caveat against drawing large scale conclusions based on fragmentary evidence, however, Gruen cautions against drawing any real conclusions from events. These things did happen, and they happened as culminations of the world around them, they say something about what was happening, who it was happening to, and how those people reacted and acted within the scope of that world.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the best book on the late republic that I have ever read, it avoids being dominated by the larger than life characters of Cicero, Caesar and Pompey and gives a voice to the rest of the several hundred senators who also shaped events at the end of the republic, but who are largely unknown.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, this was an even better survey of the period than Syme's Roman Revolution. It also for once treats Crassus in extreme detail. I found it extremely useful and a much easier read than Syme, though you will still have to power through the lists of magistrates, so be prepared for that.

[William Prueter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go my website and read my summary of this book: prueter.org.
Click on my Latin page and find "books read", go to history of Roman Republic. Scroll down to book title.