The Romans: An Introduction

by Anthony Kamm, Abigail Graham

The An Introduction, 3 rd edition engages students in the study of ancient Rome by exploring specific historical events and examining the evidence. This focus enables students not only to learn history and culture but also to understand how we recreate this picture of Roman life. The thematic threads of individuals and events (political, social, legal, military conflicts) are considered and reconsidered in each chapter, providing continuity and illustrating how political, social, and legal norms change over time. This new edition contains extensive updated and revised material designed to evoke the themes and debates which resonate in both the ancient and modern class struggles, imperialism, constitutional power (checks & balances), the role of the family, slavery, urbanisation, and religious tolerance. Robust case studies with modern parallels push students to interpret and analyze historical events and serve as jumping off points for multifaceted discussion. New features Those with an interest in classical language and literature, ancient history, Roman art, political and economic systems, or the concept of civilization as a whole, will gain a greater understanding of both the Romans and the model of a civilization that has shaped so many cultures.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics

310 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 1995

Reviews

[aforestofbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good, thought-provoking read. I was lucky enough to read the newest edition, which I've heard is a lot better than the 2nd edition. Unfortunately, my class didn't get time to read the Roman Literature section. The book is clearly written and easy to understand. I didn't use the interactive website that is also available (for free) a lot, but the case studies and extra details were really interesting. I love the style of writing and found that it made it a lot easier to read and the comparisons to modern history really emphasized the effect the Roman Empire had on us as a whole.

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well laid out. Gives general information about the government and such at the beginning, and overall gives a good idea about everyday life.
I appreciated the many pictures in the book to help make the world seem more real.

[Samantha Frodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. I will keep this book around to use as a reference, but it's really a good read from cover to cover as many books of the like are not.

[Douglas Fyfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed this book. It was mostly clearly written, although some sentences were unnecessarily confusing. The chapters were a good length, which made it easy to read in digestible chunks.

As some other reviews have noted, there seemed to be some statements made which weren’t completely accurate, and some quotes taken without reference to context.

It’s always difficult to do these primers, and overall it wasn’t a bad read. It filled in some gaps in my understanding of the history of Ancient Rome.

[Kai-Tang Tseng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended by my IB Mentor as I was preparing for my IB Extended Essay regarding the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. During my research, I did not find any relevant information regarding the battle as I only skimmed through the chapter regarding Twelve Caesars. It was during my second read that I discovered mention of the battle in Chapter 8: The Roman Army. This book is extremely good to serve as an introduction to the Roman Empire not just from a historical perspective but also from a cultural perspective. It thoroughly analyzes the Roman belief system (gods and goddesses), their entertainment, food, clothing, buildings, art, and even literature. This book, as its title suggests, however, only dives into the surface level of each topic, particularly history. Its information about each emperor is extremely brief, but that also makes it easier to digest for new readers interested in Roman History. One note of caution is that for its second chapter when discussing various governmental positions, it introduces a lot of new Latin nouns that may overwhelm new readers, especially those that have never been introduced to Roman governments. Overall, it does indeed make a good, well-rounded introduction to the Roman Empire and was fairly easy to read (besides the large influx of nouns).

[Michael A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to say about this one. I read it as a required part of a semi-indepedent course I'm doing that mostly revolves around the use of Wheelock's Latin. The professor I'm working with recommends this as a sort of helpful introduction to the world of the Romans.

Well, he's right in a way. If you don't know anything about the Romans prior to reading this, you can learn a lot of basic information. It's written in a very clean, straightforward way and neatly divided into sections covering different topics. Unlike other basic introductions, it makes a good effort to include information about literature, the army, cultural beliefs, and etc.

I don't think that books like these deserve much higher than three stars simply because of the lack of comprehensive information. But for what it's worth, this is a fine (if too skimpy) introduction with suggested further reading lists that can lead you to better sources once you are done with this one.

That being said, there's no need to read this if you know the basics. Definitely, to me, a three star book.

[Logan Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid gateway drug into the amazing and influential world of Roman history, culture, and daily life. Not big on details, but it has some great anecdotes from primary sources. After reading this book, I read the complete poems of Catullus and began to read the first Roman "novel" Satyricon. Props to Dr. Mark Thorne for using it in his Latin 101 class.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful and relatively brief introduction to Roman society and history. There were some clarity issues and areas where I thought more development was merited, but it was generally interesting and effective for what I needed (a general overview).

[Christian Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to what the Roman empire really was. I especially liked the methodical introduction and description of each emperor, as they became full-fledged people in my mind. After you've read the book, you want to know more, and that is exactly the point of an introduction!

[Teri]

Chapters on The Republic and Caesars

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise prose reflects a very knowledgeable author. Chapters are artfully crafted as individual units and could be read as such.

[John Childs · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent quick history ,good over view, on to Tacitus now

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief overview, easy to read, a good place to start learning about Roman Times if you haven't read anything about them before.

[Rob Wiltsher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative and factual without being turgid....