A History of Rome from 753 B.C. to A.D. 410

by Cyril Edward Robinson

A HISTORY OF ROME is the story of a tiny market town on the Tiber, its rise to world domination, and then its slow, terrible plunge to utter ruin. It is the single greatest event in all human history. Discover the fascinating origin of Rome and its mysterious Etruscan connections, its first faltering steps toward republican government, and its methodical subjugation of surrounding tribes. Slowly, the puritanical Roman Republic asserts control over all of Italy and in the process forges a political unity which proves enduring. That unity is sorely tested as Rome comes into conflict with Carthage and Hannibal, a horrifying ordeal which alters world history for all time. A resurgent Rome is next drawn into the intrigues of the eastern Mediterranean, finally conquering the Greek speaking world...only to end up surrendering itself to a seductive, decadent Hellenistic culture. A century of politcal tension and civil strife ensues. Follow the rise of powerful men like the brothers Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cicero and the greatest Roman of them all - Julius Caesar. With Caesar's assassination comes renewed civil war. The aristocratic senatorial faction is defeated and the Republican form of government is replaced by dictatorship. Caesar's adopted nephew, Augustus, comes to power as the first Roman Emperor and puts into place the most extraordinary experiment in imperial government ever attempted. In the process, he paves the way for a long period of peace, a golden age, the likes of which has never before been seen. The Empire is ruled by one dynasty after another - some good, some bad - until it reaches its apogee during the age of the brilliant Antonine emperors. But chaos follows with a series of corrupt rulers, and only the strong leadership of Diocletion 85 years later brings stability. Shortly afterward, Constantine's rule promotes the new faith of Christianity and makes it the official religion of the empire. But the downward spiral of decay cannot be reversed. Economic disruptions, plague and barbarian invasions prove too much for Rome, and the western half of the empire descends into a maelstrom of ignorance, dispair and random violence from which it will not emerge for many centuries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Ancient History

504 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1935

About the author

1884-

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bettie.booklikes.com/blog

[Angella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. I've listened to it about 3 times now. Wish I could find the printed version of it.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This extensive history gets going with the Punic Wars from 264 to 146 BC, when ancient Rome gained dominance over the Western Mediterranean, displacing Carthage as the dominant regional power. The Roman Empire followed the Republic, which waned with the rise of Julius Caesar, and by all measures concluded after a period of civil war and the victory of Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, in 27 BC over Mark Antony. Focus is made on those tumultuous years. The settling saw the democratic voice of the Senate pushed into irrelevance with the rise of empire.

...Augustus had built up an autocracy based in a large degree on popular approval...

Augustus also showed a conservative side with lex Julia: moral legislation introduced by Augustus in 23 BC.

The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 after the city was conquered by the Ostrogothic Kingdom. Consequently Rome's power declined, and the story is wrapped up there with a summary that "The Church" walked off with the responsibility for civilizing Europe in the only way that mattered. Dismissive of the sincerity and some actuality of the beginnings of the Constantinian shift, Robinson marks the sincere and actual Christianization of the empire with the reign of Emperor Theodosius I, who made Christianity the Roman Empire's official religion.

Apparently writing for British readers of his time, casual mention of pounds (currency) does nothing to clarify Roman wealth or expenditures and British place names are assumed sufficient in and of themselves.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Cyril Edward Robinson (1884-1981) is a well known classical historian and author of many books on ancient Greece and Rome. In this book Robinson provides an introduction to ancient Roman history. The book covers the history from the beginning of Roman history around 700 B.C. and end just before the final chaos. The main emphasis of the book is on the last two centuries of the Republic to 264 B.C... The author skims over the problems of early Roman history and the complexities and difficulties that had bearing on later developments.

It appears that Robinson maintained a high level of accuracy and provided excellent footnotes and documentation. The book is extremely well written. Robinson interprets the character of the outstanding figures on strictly conventional lines. The simplicity of his narrative is easy to read and his proper British grammar a delight to behold. Robinson has a lively style with an ear for a good phrase, and a sense of the drama of his subjects. He conveys his own enthusiasm of the subject to his readers.

I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. It is a pleasure to listen to Charlton Griffin’s highly trained voice of a British stage actor. I believe he enhances the well written text and the audio book and enjoyable listen.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight to read. This is a marvelous narrative history of Rome, from republic to empire.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although an older history on Ancient Rome, Robinson's work is highly readable and written in the traditional chronological approach that gives an excellent narrative overview of the period. This is a good introductory history.

[Skuli Saeland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um margt fróðleg bók bæði hvað varðar sögu Rómar og fordóma höfundar og samtíðar hans.
Robinson gefur út söguna 1935 og hún hefur ekki elst vel. Í sögunni ber töluvert á kynþáttafordómum (Húnar eru t.d. "hideuous and dwarfish"), mismunandi stéttir eru taldar æðri öðrum, austræn menningaráhrif til bölvunar og sömuleiðis konur. Herramaðurinn, eða á ensku "the gentleman" er afbragð annarra.
En að þessum smáatriðum frátöldum er þetta vel skrifuð saga sem greinir aðallega frá lífi yfirstéttarinnar og stjórnendum Rómaveldis aldirnar 2 fKr. til 2 eKr. þótt upphafi Rómar séu reyndar líka gerð skil og allt þar til Rómaveldi byrjar að liðast í sundur á 5. öld.

[Michael B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Learned a lot of history about Rome, it's citizens, and leaders. My trip there next month will be better because of it.

[Todd Judice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. How much of their history is our (America's) future

[J Quiles · Rating 2 out of 5]

A general review of the Roman Empire with racism and little analysis.