Rome and the Mediterranean 290 to 146 BC: The Imperial Republic

The Edinburgh History of Rome

by Nathan Rosenstein

Rome's stunning rise to mastery of the ancient MediterraneanNathan Rosenstein charts Rome's incredible journey and command of the Mediterranean over the course of the third and second centuries BC. He describes the Republic's great wars - against Pyrrhus, Carthage and Hannibal, and the kings of Macedon and Syria - as well as its subjugation of Gallic northern Italy and Spain.This book reveals why and shows how Rome engaged in war so frequently; it highlights the secret of Rome's extraordinary military success and the significant impact on both Italy and Rome.Key " Explains the political dynamics of the Republican aristocracy and the economic and demographic foundations of Roman power" Demonstrates how it integrated many thousands of citizens across the whole of central Italy into a single body politic" Analyses the operation of the Roman army on campaign and in Pyrrhus, Middle Republic, Heraclea, Asculum, Beneventum, Maleventum, First Punic War, Second Punic War, Hannibalic War, Trasimene

Genres: History, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Roman History, European History

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Nathan Rosenstein is Professor of History at the Ohio State University, specialising in the history of the Roman Republic and early Empire. He is the author of Imperatores Victi: Military Defeat and Aristocratic Competition in the Middle and Late Republic (1990), Rome at War: Farms, Families, and Death in the Middle Republic (2004) and Rome and the Mediterranean 290 to 146 BC: The Imperial Republic (2012). He is also co-editor, along with Kurt Raaflaub, of War and Society in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds (1999) and, with Robert Morstein-Marx, of A Companion to the Roman Republic (2006).

Reviews

[Bookreadingnarcissist · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good book at all. His characterization of the Republic is essentially one of class struggle. The plebs vs the patricians, the haves vs the have-nots, the proletariat vs the bourgeois, etc. I've read over 2000 pages of primary sources about the Regal and Republican period and I do not agree with Rosenstein's characterization of the Middle Republic at all. Looking at his surname, I can see why he focuses so much on class struggle.
0/5, not worth the paper it's printed on.

[James Winestock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosenstein is the greatest living expert on the Middle Republic. This book is general and by means intended to be exhaustive but gives a great sketch of the period. For further reading, I recommend his many academic articles which are often innovative and always surprisingly readable.

[Jhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justo lo que buscaba ahora que deseo profundizar más la historia de Roma. Me gusto el estilo sencillo y directo, además de que no se desvía para hacer análisis de aspectos económicos o sociales (que no me interesan), sino que va contando que paso año a año y las razones de cada evento histórico.

[Tyler Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid overview of the Pyrrhic-Punic period in Roman history, both accessible to the layman and with insights into the current scholarship for academics.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and thorough overview of this period in Rome's history. Accessible source for historians, classicists, and anyone else interested in learning more about the Imperial Republic.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosenstein traces the development of Rome from a local peninsular power to its status as Mediterranean (and world!) superpower by looking at individual actions and reactions in its political and social histories. Rosenstein is to be applauded for his clear, approachable prose and his interaction with scholarship. He is selective rather than encyclopedic in the latter area, but always seems to mention the right studies and scholars (with footnotes! Thank heaven, if you're used to the Routledge Guides) that help a student locate themselves within a field that they are not familiar with. He traces the institutions of Rome and shows how nearly continuous war, along with Roman political leadership and ideology, came together and led to the Roman Empire of the Late Republic. His first chapter on Roman political ideology was particularly good. I have no complaints--the book is short enough for advanced undergraduates, but detailed enough to be selected as a primary narrative for this period. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Middle Republic and its institutions.

[Ryan Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosenstein was a good choice for writing this volume, since he is fully immersed in the literature of Roman imperialism. My only complaint—a common one with textbooky surveys written these days—is that it just doesn't have enough detail. How I wish I could find an academically up-to-date H.H. Scullard, A History of the Roman World 753 to 146 BC.

[Geoff Winston Leghorn Balme · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smooth read and nice summary of Livy and Polybius as well as others, taking in the Punic wars as well as many other efforts the Romans managed to succeed in around the Med. While this ground is well traveled Rosenstein does not overload us, and gets to the serious points rather succinctly. I found his evaluation of the cultural changes and worries of folks like Cato to be most interesting. Feeling out those currents of political sway brings the ancients to life.