Meraklısına Roma İmparatorluğu

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Philip Matyszak, Mirhan Petek (Translator)

Meraklısına Roma İmparatorluğu, Asurluların çöküşü ve Roma Cumhuriyeti’nin ortaya çıkışından başlayarak tüm genişleme, bunalım ve nihai bölünme devirlerine kadar Roma İmparatorluğu tarihinin izini sürüyor.

Başka hiçbir siyasi varlık, modern dünyayı Roma İmparatorluğu kadar şekillendirmedi. Dünya nüfusunun yaklaşık dörtte birini ve üç milyon kilometrekarelik bir alanı kapsayan bu imparatorluk, hepsi Roma’ya ve Romalı kimliği idealine bağlı, dinamik bir milletler, devletler ve kabileler topluluğunu temsil ediyordu. Bu, o kadar sofistike bir yönetim sistemiydi ki Roma’ya duyulan sadakat, imparatorluğun çöküşünden sonra bile gücünü koruyup bugüne kadar süregelen bir miras bıraktı. Bu görkemli tarihi kendine has canlı ve ilgi çekici anlatımıyla ele alan Matyszak, imparatorluğun nasıl işlediğini, muazzam büyüklükteki askeri gücünü geniş toprakları fethetmek için nasıl konuşlandırdığını ve ardından tebaasını nasıl Roma vatandaşı haline getirdiğini aktarıyor.

Bu kitap, Roma ve Romalılar hakkında bilgi sahibi olmak isteyen herkes için hem kolay okunur hem de detaylı bir başlangıç noktası.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2014

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

[Linniegayl]

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.

[Christian T]

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.

[Said AlMaskery]

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.

[David Cuatt]

Very good introduction to Roman history. Some details and characters have to be left out in order to fit into a book of this size, but it will give any reader a much better understanding of the inner workings of the Roman state and how it changed over time. Also touches on Rome's influences on the modern world.

[SeaShore]

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

[Jeff]

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.

[Danielle]

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.