Roman Power: A Thousand Years of Empire

by William V. Harris

The Roman Empire was one of the largest and most enduring in world history. In his new book, distinguished historian W. V. Harris sets out to explain, within an eclectic theoretical framework, the waxing and eventual waning of Roman imperial power, together with the Roman community's internal power structures (political power, social power, gender power and economic power). Effectively integrating analysis with a compelling narrative, he traces this linkage between the external and the internal through three very long periods, and part of the originality of the book is that it almost uniquely considers both the gradual rise of the Roman Empire and its demise as an empire in the fifth and seventh centuries AD. Professor Harris contends that comparing the Romans of these diverse periods sharply illuminates both the growth and the shrinkage of Roman power as well as the Empire's extraordinary durability.

Genres: History, Ancient History

370 pages, Hardcover

Published August 16, 2016

About the author

William V. Harris was born on 13 September 1938 in Nottingham, England. He attended Bristol Grammar School (1949–1956) and then was an Open Scholar in Classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He earned first class in Classical Moderations in 1959, then first class in Literae Humaniores in 1961. From 1961 he pursued graduate studies as a State Student at Oxford, spending the year 1961-1962 in Rome (where he worked with J.B. Ward-Perkins), and was then the T.W. Greene Scholar in Classical Art and Archaeology. His dissertation supervisor was M. W. Frederiksen, and he received his D. Phil. in 1968.

From 1964 to 1965 Harris served as Lecturer in Ancient History at Queen's University, Belfast. In 1965, he joined the faculty of the Columbia University History Department, which he chaired from 1988 to 1994. In 1995 he was awarded the William R. Shepherd Professorship in History at Columbia. Since 2000, he has been director of Columbia's Center for the Ancient Mediterranean, which he co-founded. Since 2002 he has been Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and in 2008 he was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2011 he was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.

Reviews

[Phantoomer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una monografia sul potere di Roma, l'ascesa e il declino. Il volume offre spunti interessanti. Anche la conclusione sull'imperialismo americano, forse un po' fuori luogo ad una prima occhiata, si rivela un tema tragicamente importante in questi ultimi anni.

[Freca - Narrazioni da Divano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appassionati di epoca romana imperiale? Curiosi sulla natura del potere, come si mantenga, imponga, cosa permette di avere un impero tanto vasto quanto duraturo? Questa lettura, nemmeno troppo lunga essendo meno di 500 pagine, fa' per voi: Harris costruisce un solido recap della situazione politica, sociale ed economica durante tutta la durata dell'impero romano, con fonti, analisi e una prosa chiara e puntuale. Un approfondimento adatto a tutti, che scende in profondità ma accessibile anche ai non tecnici, seppure richiede una buona conoscenza, anche se scolastica, perché corre veloci sulle basi per arrivare al succo.

[Ryan Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harris has some interesting ideas here, and definitely a broader approach to the Romans than is usual, but his execution leaves something to be desired. His organization often feels haphazard, and his intended audience is difficult to discern: sometimes he is clearly talking to his fellow scholars, but sometimes he seems to want to engage with a broader audience. This leaves his text a bit uneven. I would say you can read any given paragraph and learn something interesting about Roman history, but reading a whole chapter leaves you almost as bewildered as when you started.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harris' summative views on Roman Power. Not entirely cohesive but he chases several themes through the volume that are valuable. The conclusion and his musings on American imperialism are intriguing but a bit out of place at the very end.

[Karen E Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not really for the non-specialist, but it is fascinating. I like books that force us to look at periodization, and this one certainly does that. I gleaned a lot of good info for my world history lectures.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another old fart telling the same story using the same sources. 2000 years later and it still "seems". Nothing is definitive. And the guy is right. As long as these history desks continue to be paid by the taxpayer there is always going to be an old fart telling the exact same story, maybe a little bit different.