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

by Philip Matyszak

"A commendable addition to a series intended to make history accessible to general readers."― Choice The Roman Republic was one of the most civilized societies in the ancient world, ruled by elected officials whose power was checked by a constitution so well crafted that it inspired the founding fathers of the United States of America. Here Philip Matyszak describes fifty-seven of the foremost Romans of the Republic, spanning the centuries from its birth to its bloody death and including the best and the worst of the Roman Licinius Crassus, a kind father and loving husband who crucified slaves by the thousands, or Cato the Censor, upright and incorruptible, xenophobic and misogynistic.

Supported by a wealth of pictorial and archaeological detail, these personal histories provide an overview of the development and expansion of Rome, encompassing foreign and civil wars as well as social strife and key legislation. The biographies are supplemented by time lines, data files, and special features that highlight different aspects of Roman culture and society. 320 illustrations, 110 in color

Genres: History, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Biography, Roman History, Reference, Roman

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Philip Matyszak is a British nonfiction author, primarily of historical works relating to ancient Rome. Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford. In addition to being a professional author, he also teaches ancient history for Madingley Hall Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge University.

Reviews

[Falk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a desert of textbook dryness presented in a glossy wrapping. While this works ok as a reference book to the different rulers of the Roman Republic, simply sticking to a presentation in strict chronological order the way it is done here breaks up and disrupts the flow of the historical narrative in a very unnecessary, and unfortunate, way. Because the timelines of so many of these biographies overlap, the chronology doesn't quite work out, and the result is a chronicle that tends to obscure the larger picture of historical events and developments instead of illuminate them. This is part due to the format of the Chronicle Series, but I still think the author should have been able to make a far better job of it than this.

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is difficult to imagine that Rome was once a backwater of the ancient world. Centuries later, the Romans ruled the world, but before the famous emperors there were the legendary republicans and they are the stars of this book. Starting with the cloudy beginning (Romulus or a bunch of guys who sat on a hill or Aeneas fleeing Troy) until the rise of Octavius, every leader of the Roman Republic is provided with a fleshed-out bio along with a ton of maps and paintings and photos of sculptures. Bravo.

There is Cincinnatus and Cato the Elder and Gaius Marius and Sulla. And the geese who saved Rome are here, too.



The later emperors may have provided the gossip, but the early republicans set the standard for Roman discipline. The amount of information provided here is exceptional, as the book has to cover centuries of rulers. The book has the usual Chronicle Of professionalism. I love these books.

Book Season = Autumn (before the winter of empire)

[H.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good quick reference book for those who do not want to wade through huge blocks of history text to get to the stuff you need or are interested in.

The history of the Roman Republic is made through its people and this book goes about telling roman history through it's consuls and other notables. It has interesting side panels and information bars for explanations of roman traditions, sites and events.

It is very nicely illustrated with both drawings and photographs of people (their marble countenances)and places from around the Roman Republic. I would recommend this book for anyone with a general interest in roman history and for student use for a school project.

-HMC

[Riq Hoelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a couple other books in this series - Roman emperors and Chinese emperors - and have read the one on the popes. The Roman Republic is not a good fit for the format though because the two consuls changed annually. If the book had covered the topic that way it would have been awesome. Alas it doesn't, only hitting the highlights, so really, unless you know absolutely nothing about the Republic, you are better off getting a general history, such as by T.J. Cornell, or possibly starting with one of the well done novel series by Colleen McCullough or Steven Saylor.

One thing I have to applaud though is that the photos and illustrations, though mostly not in color, are profuse and well-explained. It's also nice to have an at least somewhat systematic march through the centuries.

A few problems:
- Sometimes information is sketchy or skimmed over. For example, the office of praetor pre-dated consul, but this isn't really explained.
- It repeats the old tale about Rome finding a wrecked Punic trireme and using it as the basis for making their own, but most historians today doubt this. Rome had plenty of exposure to triremes before this. There were many Greeks living within their empire, for example.
- It doesn't call attention to the time leaps it's making between chapters. You have to pay close attention to notice that actually not all these events are following immediately one after the other.
- Starts the second Punic war with Flaminius, jumping right over the start of the war and the Scipio brothers.
- Claims Liguria is in northeastern Italy, but it's northwestern.
- Repeats the old story that salt was sown into the earth at Carthage, which most historians doubt.
- Discusses how under Marius the pilum was weakened, but says the purpose was to make targeted shields useless. Actually, the purpose was to make the flung pila worthless (because they separated in the middle). This made them good to use on barbarians who thus did not have the ability to fling them back or the manufacturing skills to restore them to working order.
- The story of the civil war battle of Pharsalus is greatly ovesimplified. States that senators forced Pompey to attack Caesar, but in fact Pompey had allowed himself to be surounded and had little choice.
- Doesn't really understand Lucullus and what happened to him. Also places him in the wrong chapter. He was a decade older than Pompey, but appears in the chapter after him. Likewise, Cato the Younger should have come after Caesar rather than before. Cicero also appears too late.
- Discusses that Clodius changed the spelling of his name and later that he got himself adopted, but misses that the two were connected. The adoption led to the name change.
- Spells the name of the infamous Catilina as Catiline.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. I teach about the Roman Republic and this gives concise but interesting biographies about all the major players chronologically. My only criticism is that it's a little redundant. Not author's fault really. You kinda have to talk about Pompey under Caesar's bio, and Caesar under Pompey's bio. But anyway, enjoyable read, and I will save as a reference. Ends at Augustus. Good writing style. Not too academic.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good intro book. It really brushes over the history rather quickly. But some of the illustrations and side explanations are helpful and interesting.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to early Rome. Doesn't go into too much detail since it covers the whole lifespan of the Republic.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too glossy at times, with a couple or errors, but a good, well written and well illustrated introduction to the eras of the Roman kingdom and republic. Well worth a look to a beginner.

[Dayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the clearest retelling of the origin story of Rome: The twins, Romulus and Remus and their mother the Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silvia who lived in Alba Longa where, according to tradition, Aeneas had settled after fleeing from Troy. In this way the Romans trace their ancestry to Aeneas and the Trojans. Along the way, a wolf raises the twins, who were thrown in the river. Ouch!

Also, great stories include:
1) The Rape of the Sabine Women (which includes an explanation of carrying brides across the threshold--no kidding)
2) Marcias brought the first water to Rome via aqueducts
3) Jupiter was worshipped for 1000 years and even had a huge temple (built by Tarquin), until Christianity came along
4) More raping: The Rape of Lucretia
5) The Great Sulla

Yes, it is all here. With beautiful pictures, easy-to-understand timelines, and colorful maps, this is the history book for everyone to cherish. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent chronological account of the lives of important Romans in pre-Imperial Rome, from the first kings, who were overthrown to found the Republic, to the chief consuls who governed it. Because their lives overlapped, and individuals often served as consuls several times, this is not a straightforward chronicle of the history of the Roman Republic. There is therefore much repetition which can sometimes lead to confusion over the sequence of events. But the book is well written and beautifully illustrated, particularly with the busts of so many of these great men, whose uncanny realism brings them alive. Both a good read and a handy work of reference, this book has a valued place on my shelves.

[Adam Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A relatively short book on the near 700 years from the foundations of Rome to when Rome became an Empire. It should probably sit more at 4.5 stars but I would like to give Matyszak a little extra bump in his Goodreads score. Covering this much history in not much more than 200 pages is tough but there is a fair amount of information for the various periods of time as well as tidbits of information of how the Romans lived. I would recommend this to people who want a good overview of Roman history; I would not recommend this to scholars who want something far more extensive.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayszak's first book and what an excellent reference. He carefully furrows a chronological path through 750 years of tangled politics. His employment of a conversational tone; introductory notes on political positions and primary sources; and inclusion in the margin of retrospective art (treating with the material) greatly enhanced a history that already stood on its own. Loved it.

[Danny Pham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author made a very good effort to cover the long history of Rome in the Republic, with the ups and downs and bunch of related information. I bought this book in Rome as soon as I visited Colosseum and Vatican. However, if you seriously look for more and in-depth info, look elsewhere.

[Philippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the history of the Pharaohs, a GREAT primer on the republic. A nother must-read is the follow-up book, Chronicle of the Roman Emperors.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

História política pura e dura, com algumas pinceladas de história social, a partir das fontes escritas romanas.

[Abbey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished it for the same week and i really enjoyed it. I loved how at first the story lines didn't seem to have anything to do with each other but slowly details were revealed to show how they are all connected.

[Dave Heisley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Rome history's deal with Imperial Rome, so I was pleased when a friend loaned me this book, which covers all the rulers of Rome from the mythical to Caesar Augustus. The late republic period is the one that so closely resembles the US story that it is scary, and it was really the period where Rome's power and wealth grew the most. I believe the empire pretty much "rested on the laurels" of the republic.

The material covered was reasonably thorough, but succinct, so each ruler would cover 1-5 pages. Of course, reading a book that covers only a list of names is close to a reference, so I wouldn't call it a gripping read. It was also both good (reinforcement) and bad (confusion) when several contemporaneous leaders are covered, since the same battles and political struggles show up in each, but from a slightly different perspective. I found it amazing that we have so much material from this time of prehistory, thanks in no small part for the Roman historians themselves. I also found it fascinating that the politics and personalities are really not so much different from today.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare to find a book that manages to be fun to read, informative and can still be a coffee table book. Very solid, enjoyable easy to read book that also can serve as a quick reference for all thing Roman Republican. Too often works concentrate on the fall of the Republic without looking past Caesar for it's root causes. This book can explain why Caesar seemed inevitable in a few well-illustrated pages. It's a pleasure to own and one I was genuinely excited to pull out of a box after a move.

[Chak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reference book on the Roman Republic. We didn't finish it, because we decided to move on as we had covered quite a bit and then felt we wanted to get back to some more non-fiction that was more readable for our family reading time, as opposed to reference reading. It was cool to note how many modern customs had their roots in the Roman civilization, and also for how sophisticated the culture was, I was really surprised by how many important occurrences were influenced by "reading signs" (i.e., fortunetelling).

[Tlaloc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skip poring over dozens of texts to find out who was who before the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire, and just pick this up instead. In many ways, the Republic and its history was far more interesting than in later times when Rome ruled the western world, and these colourful characters prove it.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este tem sido o livro que mais gostei de esta serie. Gostei muito porque o autor teve o cuidado de explicar algumas expressões e palavras utilizadas hoje en dia e que tem a sua origem na história da republica romana. Novamente gostei da organização do livro e das imagens que acompanham o texto.

[Kwende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before the empire there was the republic. The world was changed forever.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The timeline that is incorporated into the text is extremely helpful. Although like most historical texts (with a large span) it was a little dry in parts.

[Hilde Helseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The book that's been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time'

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huzzah for the Republic!