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Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)
The Roman Empire: A Beginner's Guide
No other political entity has shaped the modern world like the Roman Empire. Encompassing close to a quarter of the world’s population and 3 million km2 of land, it represented a diverse and dynamic collection of nations, states and tribes, all bound to Rome and the ideal of a Roman identity.
In the lively and engaging style that he’s known for, Philip Matyszak traces the history of the Roman Empire from the fall of the Assyrians and the rise of the Roman Republic through to the ages of expansion, crisis and eventual split. Breathing new life into these extraordinary events, Matyszak explains how the empire operated, deploying its incredibly military machine to conquer vast territory then naturalizing its subject peoples as citizens of Rome. It was a method of rule so sophisticated that loyalty to Rome remained strong even afters its collapse creating an expansive legacy that continues to this day.
In the lively and engaging style that he’s known for, Philip Matyszak traces the history of the Roman Empire from the fall of the Assyrians and the rise of the Roman Republic through to the ages of expansion, crisis and eventual split. Breathing new life into these extraordinary events, Matyszak explains how the empire operated, deploying its incredibly military machine to conquer vast territory then naturalizing its subject peoples as citizens of Rome. It was a method of rule so sophisticated that loyalty to Rome remained strong even afters its collapse creating an expansive legacy that continues to this day.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2014
7 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Philip Matyszak
62 books284 followersPhilip 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.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 11, 2024
I read this book in preparation for a course later this summer on the Roman Empire. While I have had a bit of training on the Roman Empire, in most ways I’m just a beginner, so decided this would be a perfect start, and it proved to be exactly that.
This is a very short book but gives nice overview of the Roman Empire. Unlike typical lengthy Roman history books that move (often in excruciating detail) from Emperor to Emperor and battle to battle, this book is divided into sections that cover the broad swath of the Empire's history: (1) Rome in the Republic; (2) the Early Imperial Period; (3) the Golden Age; (4) the Time of Crises; and (5) Rome in Late Antiquity. Yes, there are emperors mentioned, and a few battles appear. But this is not the emphasis. Instead, we’re given – in a highly readable manner – a general feel for each period, including the arts, the economy, interactions with other parts of the world, and the lives of ordinary people.
Is this a book for academics? Definitely not! Is it a book for someone who already knows a fair amount about the Roman Empire? Again, no. But for someone -- like me -- who had only limited knowledge of the Roman Empire, it's an easy introduction. I now feel ready to tackle more detailed books on the history of the Roman Empire, with a better general understanding of the Empire.
May 11, 2024: I did a reread of this book to help prepare for a class, and agree with everything I wrote above.
This is a very short book but gives nice overview of the Roman Empire. Unlike typical lengthy Roman history books that move (often in excruciating detail) from Emperor to Emperor and battle to battle, this book is divided into sections that cover the broad swath of the Empire's history: (1) Rome in the Republic; (2) the Early Imperial Period; (3) the Golden Age; (4) the Time of Crises; and (5) Rome in Late Antiquity. Yes, there are emperors mentioned, and a few battles appear. But this is not the emphasis. Instead, we’re given – in a highly readable manner – a general feel for each period, including the arts, the economy, interactions with other parts of the world, and the lives of ordinary people.
Is this a book for academics? Definitely not! Is it a book for someone who already knows a fair amount about the Roman Empire? Again, no. But for someone -- like me -- who had only limited knowledge of the Roman Empire, it's an easy introduction. I now feel ready to tackle more detailed books on the history of the Roman Empire, with a better general understanding of the Empire.
May 11, 2024: I did a reread of this book to help prepare for a class, and agree with everything I wrote above.
June 20, 2021
A brilliant book on the Romans. It's amazing, how this tiny book manages to sum up the main cultural and political points of the Roman empire that lasted for more than a thousand years. I'd strongly suggest this book for anyone who has just completed a course on the Roman empire and wants to get hold of "the most important" or for a reader who just wants to brush up their knowledge on the subject.
This book is definitely not for complete beginners. It will not tell you definitions of different public buildings and it doesn't go in detail with the political system or with the rulers of the Roman empire. If this is something that you want to cover for yourself, then another book is needed.
This book is definitely not for complete beginners. It will not tell you definitions of different public buildings and it doesn't go in detail with the political system or with the rulers of the Roman empire. If this is something that you want to cover for yourself, then another book is needed.
April 27, 2018
The book wasn't really a beginners guide, it had way too much details which made it difficult for someone looking for generic information to grasp the history of the Roman Empire.
However the history itself is a lesson for the future. The political system, culture and sometimes during rare times in the history of Rome the tolerance, is amazing.
I think every politician should read about the Roman Empire and just see what went wrong in various times of its history and realize that there are lessons from the past that fit our contemporary systems.
However the history itself is a lesson for the future. The political system, culture and sometimes during rare times in the history of Rome the tolerance, is amazing.
I think every politician should read about the Roman Empire and just see what went wrong in various times of its history and realize that there are lessons from the past that fit our contemporary systems.
January 1, 2021
started Dec 15 2020
This is a good book to keep for reference. Great compilation of the history.
I also checked for the time line
This is a good book to keep for reference. Great compilation of the history.
I also checked for the time line
December 15, 2014
I have the greatest respect for Philip Matyszak and all of his books I've read. This one, I just don't know. It was just odd. The editing was weird or something. It may have more to do with the "Beginner's Guides" series having control over the project, and their preference in organization, formatting, etc. Lots of good information, but it was just weird to read for some reason.
May 21, 2021
While it can be difficult to get into, and the writing isn't always very clear, this is a pretty good and comprehensive history of the Roman Empire. I particularly liked the focus on the provinces and all the different people that made up the empire - not just the emperors.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews