The Roman Empire

by Colin Wells

This sweeping history of the Roman Empire from 44 BC to AD 235 has three to describe what was happening in the central administration and in the entourage of the emperor; to indicate how life went on in Italy and the provinces, in the towns, in the countryside, and in the army camps; and to show how these two different worlds impinged on each other. Colin Wells’s vivid account is now available in an up-to-date second edition.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Roman History, World History, Ancient, Italy

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[pero · Rating 4 out of 5]

even tho this is my college literature this was telenovela every friday on channel 300 something typa shit

[Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful overview of a fascinating historical phenomenon, written from a highly academic perspective. Every page contains interesting and/or surprising information, but the text is extremely dense, making for slow reading. Professor Wells seems anxious to score points against other historians of the period, and has a distinctively dry Oxbridge sense of humour which sometimes grates. His occasional comparisons wioth modern life are already very dated.

[Caracalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best short surveys on roman history, covers all the source material. Interesting points come up like the fact that the Roman Empire was much stronger and more prosperous in the east and in North African than in Europe

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lively and fiarly comprehensive survey of the Roman empire from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. The chapters alternate between "big man" history (based on periods: Augustan, the resto f the Julio-Claudians, Galba thru Trajan, Hadrian thru Marcus Aurelius) and more general social history. This is a great structure and it allows the author to reinforce major developments by mentioning them in both chapters. There is a short survey of the emperors who followed Marcus Aurelius as a sort of epilogue, but there is not corresponding chapter on the social history of this period.

Wells offers the reader a massive amount of data, and it is probably impossible to take it all in on the first read. This book covers major dates, figures, and developments in architecture, law, and governance. It may come off as a little dry to those not already interested in this period. If you are not a historian, you may want to start with a popular biography of an emperor or two to get yourself familiar with the basics. I intend to use this a reference work for my own teaching, but I'm not sure if I would assign it to students. There may be a more accessible text for Roman Imperial history out there.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one-volume, first book about the Roman Empire. The book goes from Augustus to the end of the Severans (~25 BC - ~350 AD) - the start of the Empire to the major disruptions of the 200s. Colin Wells shows a refreshing lack of adulation and a welcome amount of skepticism for histories written at the time (they almost always had a political point). This is mostly a political history, with some discussion of the society of the 'haves'. This makes sense because it was these people that the Empire affected most, the relative peace and mobility allowing vast fortunes as well as a 'middle class' of sorts (historically a rare occurrence).

Wells emphasizes the overwhelming importance of the army and brute force. He discusses the importance of public deaths (gladiators, criminals and others killed by animals) and the amount of resources this used, something earlier writers have often glossed over.

Although this book is older (written 1984, revised 1992) current research has not made this out of date.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being disappointed by "The Roman Republic," I had hoped that Wells' book would read as written more for a popular audience--partly this was because of the tone of his more contemporary books. But it was very much an academic piece and this is one of the reasons, I think, I found his analogies with the contemporary (Idi Amin, etc.) jarring. It was definitely an easier read than the first book, though I felt this more of the even chapters (he alternates between straight political narrative and general looks at "the state" of Italy and the provinces at different periods. I thought his discussion of the amphitheaters particularly good as well as frightening in its discussion of the use of terror by the state and its seeming acceptance by the people.

So it was a generally good introduction though not the lightest of reads.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die dtv-Geschichte der Antike möchte ich allen denen ans Herz legen, die ihren Horizont über die Welt des Altertums (von ca. 1000 v. Chr. bis 500 n. Chr.) erweitern wollen. Das hat zwei Gründe: Zum Einen können englische Historiker Geschichte viel erzählerischer und spannender vermitteln als das die meisten deutschen Kollegen können (auch in der guten deutschen Übersetzung des althistorischen Hans Dampf in allen Gassen: Kai Brodersen). Zum Anderen sprechen hier die Quellen für sich, Forschungsmeinungen werden nur dann übersichtlich präsentiert, wenn sich Lücken oder Fragen ergeben. Diese beiden Faktoren lassen die gut 25 Jahre alten Publikationen alles andere als alt aussehen. Wer's irgendwo noch findet (die Bücher sind alle out of print!): Zugreifen!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a very cautious scholar; he insists on a citation for almost every statement - within the text! I was obviously somewhat annoyed by this tactic, especially after thoroughly enjoying the chapter entitled Sources in which he discusses all the possible sources of his topic.

That rant out of the way, I give multiple stars to the writer/historian for producing a valuable, readable, and even entertaining volume on one of my favorite subjects.

[Louis · Rating 2 out of 5]

What our society is based upon and how we might crumble as well. Good insigt as history does repeat itself. Time to turn the page of history. I have been told not to worry about things here on terra firma, but we do have to live here!

[Courtney Sells-Cunningham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Preferred Beard's history.