What do you think?
Rate this book
The Great Courses
The Rise of Rome
12 hours 15 mins
The Roman Republic is one of the most breathtaking civilizations in world history. Between roughly 500 BCE to the turn of the millennium, a modest city-state developed an innovative system of government and expanded into far-flung territories across Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. This powerful civilization inspired America's founding fathers, gifted us a blueprint for amazing engineering innovations, left a vital trove of myths, and has inspired the human imagination for 2,000 years.
How did Rome become so powerful? This mystery has vexed historians from the ancient Greek writer Polybius to 21st century scholars. Today, removed as we are from the Roman Republic, historians also wonder what it was like to be a Roman citizen in that amazing era. Beyond the familiar names of Romulus, Caesar, Octavian, Brutus, and Mark Antony, what was life like for the ordinary people? And what did the conquered peoples think of this world power?
The Roman Republic is one of the most breathtaking civilizations in world history. Between roughly 500 BCE to the turn of the millennium, a modest city-state developed an innovative system of government and expanded into far-flung territories across Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. This powerful civilization inspired America's founding fathers, gifted us a blueprint for amazing engineering innovations, left a vital trove of myths, and has inspired the human imagination for 2,000 years.
How did Rome become so powerful? This mystery has vexed historians from the ancient Greek writer Polybius to 21st century scholars. Today, removed as we are from the Roman Republic, historians also wonder what it was like to be a Roman citizen in that amazing era. Beyond the familiar names of Romulus, Caesar, Octavian, Brutus, and Mark Antony, what was life like for the ordinary people? And what did the conquered peoples think of this world power?
13 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 5, 2018
23 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 19, 2020
I listened to these lectures last year and enjoyed them all the way through. Aldrete’s narration is as entertaining as the topic. I’ll be listening to and reading to more of his stuff!
April 1, 2023
First part of an excellent lecture series on the history of Ancient Rome, covering the entire span of existence of the Roman Republic and providing plenty of fascinating information that goes far beyond names and dates.
December 21, 2021
Note that this covers the founding of the Rome Republic and its rise up until the transition to the Roman Empire. Aldrete states there is another course covering the Roman Empire.
In general this is a wonderful course. As has been the case with his other courses, I found Aldrete to be an engaging professor. I liked that he included the lives of average citizens in a few lectures. I found in this course it was obvious what his biases were and that took a bit away from the overall quality of the course.
In general this is a wonderful course. As has been the case with his other courses, I found Aldrete to be an engaging professor. I liked that he included the lives of average citizens in a few lectures. I found in this course it was obvious what his biases were and that took a bit away from the overall quality of the course.
October 17, 2023
I really liked the other Great Courses class that Aldrete taught (The Roman Empire) and so I picked this up to learn about the Roman Republic, since the other course begins at the battle of Actium and covers imperial Rome only. However, this course focused a lot more on the nitty gritty of Roman culture, and less how it fit in to the broad historical context of the time, so I found it much more boring. For example, we learn that Gaius Marius made several important reforms to the military during his consulships between 107 and 100 BC: he opens up the army to people who don't own property, paves the way for a standing army, and arranged for all soldiers who served their term (15 years!!) to own land. This seems like it was good in some ways in terms of increasing social mobility for the poor, but bad in other ways, since it was easier for individual disgruntled politicians to make their own private armies and wreak havoc, which may had eventually played a role in the collapse of the Republic into a stabby, corrupt, non-democratic state. Anyway, I'm not totally sure I got that whole analysis right, but what I really didn't need to hear about was a hour on Marius's beef with Sulla. Pretty much any relationship between only two individuals that is covered over the course of an entire lecture is too detailed for me, since I was more interested in big questions, like why did Rome have such an outsize influence on modern governments?
Overall, the class was well taught but I found the level of historical analysis too minute.
Overall, the class was well taught but I found the level of historical analysis too minute.
April 19, 2020
Anacyclosis indeed!
Drs Fagan and Harl lectured via The Great Courses on the origins of Rome, covering the early history as well as the development of the Republic. Those lectures were excellent and provided their emphasis of the important aspects of Rome's evolution. Like most of The Great Courses, those sets of lectures, as well as this set by Dr Aldrete, represent a survey of Roman history, providing the historic highlights that those scholars deemed most influential to the subject.
For me, Dr Aldrete's version was a bit more entertaining and interesting (not taking anything away from Harl or Fagan), especially on the basis of Aldrete's guidebook, which I found to be excellent reading, with many colorful and informative insets.
The final chapter included extensive quotes from Polybius (the 2nd century BCE author), in which the wonderful term 'anacyclosis' is introduced and defined (a theory of the evolution of types of government(s) a nation might exhibit). It made me wonder about our own country and when and where (or if) our next 'shift' might occur.
Very much recommended...audio with the guidebook is enough.
The die is cast when the coupon and sale are upon you.
Drs Fagan and Harl lectured via The Great Courses on the origins of Rome, covering the early history as well as the development of the Republic. Those lectures were excellent and provided their emphasis of the important aspects of Rome's evolution. Like most of The Great Courses, those sets of lectures, as well as this set by Dr Aldrete, represent a survey of Roman history, providing the historic highlights that those scholars deemed most influential to the subject.
For me, Dr Aldrete's version was a bit more entertaining and interesting (not taking anything away from Harl or Fagan), especially on the basis of Aldrete's guidebook, which I found to be excellent reading, with many colorful and informative insets.
The final chapter included extensive quotes from Polybius (the 2nd century BCE author), in which the wonderful term 'anacyclosis' is introduced and defined (a theory of the evolution of types of government(s) a nation might exhibit). It made me wonder about our own country and when and where (or if) our next 'shift' might occur.
Very much recommended...audio with the guidebook is enough.
The die is cast when the coupon and sale are upon you.
December 3, 2024
I really liked this book/audiobook! It is a lecture given by college professors in the series The Great Courses. The history of the Rise of Rome in its Republic period was very informative and helped me understand the incredible place Rome had in world development and it also helped me understand Biblical events and how they lined up with the Roman timeline. I hope to read several more of these lectures in 2025
November 20, 2019
Quick overview of BC Rome. Although you get a very cursory narrative history, the upside is that the author stops the narrative in many places and discusses some general demographic, cultural, religious, social and political themes.
December 31, 2020
The format is excellent as an audio book. Snappy, relatively concise chapters that serve the reader/listener to a good introduction to the history behind the origins of the Roman Republic. While the author points out history tends to focus on a narrow sliver of the population, this does follow that suit. The few bits about the food, clothes, housing, jobs and such of regular Romans were some of my favorite. But I enjoyed most of the lecture series and also finished the following series about the fall of the Empire.
December 7, 2023
A good overview with a knowledgeable lecturer.
February 4, 2020
Brilliant account of roman history from its beginning until the end of the Republic.
June 23, 2024
So happy to be back w/ Dr. Aldrete! I’m trying to figure out what it is that makes his lectures so accessible to me. B/c I also liked Dr. Tuck. I considered perhaps his content organization? But both profs had well-organized lectures. I *think* it’s the way that Dr. Aldrete enunciates his words. He speaks v slowly and meticulously so he’s easy to understand. Dr. Tuck kind of slurred his words together which made it difficult for me to focus / pay attn. Current hypothesis! We’ll see if it bears out. (Actually - could also be that there are better / more graphics / image examples in Dr. Aldrete’s lectures, as well. But. While that’s true I don’t think that’s why I’m able to ingest the info in his lectures more easily. Or why I’m able to binge Dr. Aldrete but lose interest in Dr. Tuck.)
@ Ep 7 - I mean, you just have to appreciate a prof who sometimes shows up to lecture wearing a toga. And doesn’t say a thing abt it.
@ Ep 11 - this one is hilarious! E.g., around 16:00 Dr. Aldrete says Cato the Elder had 3 obsessions:
- Railing against incursion of Greek culture
- Cabbage
- Fear that Carthage would rise again
Cabbage!!
And here’s a quote about the Roman general, Scipio Aemilianus, who was sacking Carthage (he was raised to appreciate Greek culture; his tutor was the Greek historian Polybius): “Here was the new Roman. Just as brutal as ever, but now he recited fine poetry while he killed you.” (~19:45)
@ Ep 22 - the way Dr. Aldrete discussed the gestures orators used to elicit emotion made me think he's studied martial arts. Just the way he held his body, with precision and restraint. Also: since the beginning of the LAST lecture series (on the Roman Empire) I keep expecting to see him sporting a sleezy ponytail every time he turns his head. Nope! But I wonder if he *used* to have one? Or wants one? Or will grow one when he’s retired?
Another also which applies to both lecture series: it’s amazing that we know the EXACT DATES when things happened! Not just to the year but to the DAY. From so long ago. It’s amazing and also provides a sharp contrast with the Etruscan story, where it’s all guess-work. Dates make the Roman world seem more recent, somehow - the continuity of a thing *I* use every day (a calendar), also being used back then.
AT END - I’m kind of relieved this course is over. It’s a lot… A lot of men, a lot of war, a lot of politics. Not really things I’m interested in. Except I *am* interested in history, and the “foundations of western civilization,” so… broadly I appreciated learning this material but the specifics started wearing a bit thin. Also I’m watching it while VERY sick so there’s that, as well.
It’s always amazing to think that the ppl portrayed in history didn’t know they’re historical. When they were living - making choices, doing their thing - it was the present moment. Just like how right NOW is *MY* present moment. We can look back and think - well, we can look back and think LOTS of things! But especially we can look back and think, “Aha, I know what’s coming, but that poor bastard has no idea. He’s just humming along, doing life, like normal.”
Do I *really* know what’s coming, though? It’s so easy to condense history into a simple sequence of events. Especially a sequence of events about famous / powerful people. When A) history is *actually* a v complex confluence / amalgamation of details and events - most of which are quotidian not dramatic B) I might know the big highlights of a historical period (e.g., Jesus is born! Julius Caesar is killed!) but that doesn’t mean I know ANYTHING abt what’s coming up in the life of a specific person. Especially an “ordinary” specific person - someone who isn’t famous.
Anyway - final reflection - I wouldn’t have enjoyed living in ancient Rome. The culture was BRUTAL. People were VERY MEAN to themselves and each other. There was SO. MUCH. competition. It reminds me a LOT of growing up in my fam. It’s a place I feel like Garrett would thrive. He’d be a natural and would quickly rise to the top. Val would try to keep up but it wouldn’t come as naturally to her. Which would make her anxious and frustrated to work so hard and see other ppl ascending before her. I would completely crumble. My sister would be oblivious to it all (denial! fantasy land!) which would both protect her from AND prevent her from participating in the brutality. (Another reason I’m relieved this course has come to an end - ancient Rome is *NOT* a fun world to escape to.)
@ Ep 7 - I mean, you just have to appreciate a prof who sometimes shows up to lecture wearing a toga. And doesn’t say a thing abt it.
@ Ep 11 - this one is hilarious! E.g., around 16:00 Dr. Aldrete says Cato the Elder had 3 obsessions:
- Railing against incursion of Greek culture
- Cabbage
- Fear that Carthage would rise again
Cabbage!!
And here’s a quote about the Roman general, Scipio Aemilianus, who was sacking Carthage (he was raised to appreciate Greek culture; his tutor was the Greek historian Polybius): “Here was the new Roman. Just as brutal as ever, but now he recited fine poetry while he killed you.” (~19:45)
@ Ep 22 - the way Dr. Aldrete discussed the gestures orators used to elicit emotion made me think he's studied martial arts. Just the way he held his body, with precision and restraint. Also: since the beginning of the LAST lecture series (on the Roman Empire) I keep expecting to see him sporting a sleezy ponytail every time he turns his head. Nope! But I wonder if he *used* to have one? Or wants one? Or will grow one when he’s retired?
Another also which applies to both lecture series: it’s amazing that we know the EXACT DATES when things happened! Not just to the year but to the DAY. From so long ago. It’s amazing and also provides a sharp contrast with the Etruscan story, where it’s all guess-work. Dates make the Roman world seem more recent, somehow - the continuity of a thing *I* use every day (a calendar), also being used back then.
AT END - I’m kind of relieved this course is over. It’s a lot… A lot of men, a lot of war, a lot of politics. Not really things I’m interested in. Except I *am* interested in history, and the “foundations of western civilization,” so… broadly I appreciated learning this material but the specifics started wearing a bit thin. Also I’m watching it while VERY sick so there’s that, as well.
It’s always amazing to think that the ppl portrayed in history didn’t know they’re historical. When they were living - making choices, doing their thing - it was the present moment. Just like how right NOW is *MY* present moment. We can look back and think - well, we can look back and think LOTS of things! But especially we can look back and think, “Aha, I know what’s coming, but that poor bastard has no idea. He’s just humming along, doing life, like normal.”
Do I *really* know what’s coming, though? It’s so easy to condense history into a simple sequence of events. Especially a sequence of events about famous / powerful people. When A) history is *actually* a v complex confluence / amalgamation of details and events - most of which are quotidian not dramatic B) I might know the big highlights of a historical period (e.g., Jesus is born! Julius Caesar is killed!) but that doesn’t mean I know ANYTHING abt what’s coming up in the life of a specific person. Especially an “ordinary” specific person - someone who isn’t famous.
Anyway - final reflection - I wouldn’t have enjoyed living in ancient Rome. The culture was BRUTAL. People were VERY MEAN to themselves and each other. There was SO. MUCH. competition. It reminds me a LOT of growing up in my fam. It’s a place I feel like Garrett would thrive. He’d be a natural and would quickly rise to the top. Val would try to keep up but it wouldn’t come as naturally to her. Which would make her anxious and frustrated to work so hard and see other ppl ascending before her. I would completely crumble. My sister would be oblivious to it all (denial! fantasy land!) which would both protect her from AND prevent her from participating in the brutality. (Another reason I’m relieved this course has come to an end - ancient Rome is *NOT* a fun world to escape to.)
September 26, 2024
The Rise of Rome by Gregory Aldrete is a very good course, but one that lives in the shadow of the earlier and better course on Rome by Garrett Fagan. Let's start with the good. Aldrete is a talented instructor that is very easy to understand, and he has enough mastery over the subject that a student is likely to be very favorably impressed by him. Some of his lectures were really rather good, especially the one on Roman character. His attempt to tackle some of the more social aspects of Roman history and highlight anecdotes of every day life is admirable, and offers some of the more memorable bits of the course. If there is a way where he does better than Fagan, it is with his care toward thematic social history, which Fagan treated in a bulk section.
But Aldrete finds himself running out of time. His version of the Roman Revolution centered around the end of the Republic comes across as truncated and skipping over important material. His coverage of the Gracchi brothers used short-hand that framed the problem rather oddly, and while he mentioned the importance of the office of Tribune, it could have been done better both to establish why the office was important, what led to its creation, and then to its abuse. You can get lost in the immersive world of the Roman Republic when Fagan is your guide. Aldrete jumps around a bit too much and you're left with an epitome covering most of the important details without really feeling like you're fully understanding what happened.
Aldrete is good, and I wish I could have seen what he would have done with a longer course of 36 or 48 lectures on the Rise of Rome. I know he has a subsequent course on the empire, and I'm looking forward to going through hat one as well. Its just that I feel like something is missing from this one. And I might never have realized it if it wasn't for Fagan's earlier course. As such, while I do recommend this one, I'd encourage people to take it after Fagan's. Perhaps after a year or two, and you're looking to return to Rome and its history.
But Aldrete finds himself running out of time. His version of the Roman Revolution centered around the end of the Republic comes across as truncated and skipping over important material. His coverage of the Gracchi brothers used short-hand that framed the problem rather oddly, and while he mentioned the importance of the office of Tribune, it could have been done better both to establish why the office was important, what led to its creation, and then to its abuse. You can get lost in the immersive world of the Roman Republic when Fagan is your guide. Aldrete jumps around a bit too much and you're left with an epitome covering most of the important details without really feeling like you're fully understanding what happened.
Aldrete is good, and I wish I could have seen what he would have done with a longer course of 36 or 48 lectures on the Rise of Rome. I know he has a subsequent course on the empire, and I'm looking forward to going through hat one as well. Its just that I feel like something is missing from this one. And I might never have realized it if it wasn't for Fagan's earlier course. As such, while I do recommend this one, I'd encourage people to take it after Fagan's. Perhaps after a year or two, and you're looking to return to Rome and its history.
February 9, 2018
This was excellent and just what I wanted. It's mostly an overview of the Republican era with a little info at the front on the earlier establishment and monarchy. (There just isn't enough known about those times to do more.) The professor is well spoken and easy to understand without annoying vocal tics. The information is as in depth as you can get in the allotted amount of time, and that's the only thing I was disappointed in. I wish that it went into more depth in different areas, but it would be a very long course then, and really, it could just be multiple courses about the Social War, the Punic Wars, and the Civil Wars that ended the Republic. Putting everything into one course just left me wanting more. However, even though it was an overview, I felt like there was a lot of information given without it feeling like an info dump. He doesn't throw around names or events without explaining them and everything seems to follow logically and deliberately. I definitely recommend this, especially to people who are tired of Roman history being treated as only the history of the Empire, or starting at Caesar.
December 16, 2023
Aldrete has written an interesting guide to the rise and fall of the Roman Republic. I think what I liked best about it was his willingness to grapple with the competing theories regarding why key events happened—why people acted the way they did. Were the Gracchi brothers simply avaricious power-hungry men abusing the mobs for their own gain, or were they working in good faith to fix the problems confronting the Republic. Sulla versus Marius—both men bend traditions to suit their needs. Sulla actually breaks those traditions marching his legions on Rome not once but twice (the first Roman to do this) and yet still tries to position himself as a defender of Roman values. That seems to be a take on the "destroy the village to save it" line of justification. It's an interesting book which also gets into what life was like for everyday Romans. And the Great Courses structure breaks it into easily digestible bites.
January 25, 2021
Another great addition to my history pursuit collection. I really enjoyed this one.
A wide variety of topics is covered from mythos, cultural aspects, agriculture, road system, slavery, so on and so forth. What I enjoyed the most from this was the end, where it ties into Ptolemy, Cleopatra, and focuses in on Julius Caesar. This was the most content specifically about Julius I've been exposed to and really enjoy it. I think I would like to pick up a book entirely dedicated to him later on down the road to expand my knowledge about his life and his rise and fall.
-1 star because I felt like despite this being very good, I do not think it would be an appropriate starting point for someone totally new to learning about Rome. This is more for someone who is 2-3 books (or more) in to learning about Rome and still itching for a little bit more.
A wide variety of topics is covered from mythos, cultural aspects, agriculture, road system, slavery, so on and so forth. What I enjoyed the most from this was the end, where it ties into Ptolemy, Cleopatra, and focuses in on Julius Caesar. This was the most content specifically about Julius I've been exposed to and really enjoy it. I think I would like to pick up a book entirely dedicated to him later on down the road to expand my knowledge about his life and his rise and fall.
-1 star because I felt like despite this being very good, I do not think it would be an appropriate starting point for someone totally new to learning about Rome. This is more for someone who is 2-3 books (or more) in to learning about Rome and still itching for a little bit more.
November 18, 2025
I wish I could absorb everything about this book. History is sooo interesting, and reading just one book about the formation of Rome to the fall of the Roman Republic isn't enough to fully understand and grasp it.
I love how it's not just a Rome encyclopedia of names and dates, but actually tells you about the important historical figures and the normal, day-to-day life of its inhabitants.. The lecturer/professor does a great job at not boring you with historical facts and makes it entertaining. I tried listening to another audiobook from The Great Courses about the history of India, but I had to DNF it because it was boring (nothing to do with the history of India itself, which I find fascinating). I enjoyed that he gave multiple theories for certain events that occurred.
I love history!! Now it's time to listen to Gregory Aldrete on Lex Fridman's podcast.
I love how it's not just a Rome encyclopedia of names and dates, but actually tells you about the important historical figures and the normal, day-to-day life of its inhabitants.. The lecturer/professor does a great job at not boring you with historical facts and makes it entertaining. I tried listening to another audiobook from The Great Courses about the history of India, but I had to DNF it because it was boring (nothing to do with the history of India itself, which I find fascinating). I enjoyed that he gave multiple theories for certain events that occurred.
I love history!! Now it's time to listen to Gregory Aldrete on Lex Fridman's podcast.
April 19, 2021
This presentation about Roman civilization is a delight to listen or read. The factors responsible for Rome's success as a thriving, expanding culture are eloquently communicated by the narrator who has command of the information in this historical account. The beginning of Rome starts with a Trojan war hero who survives the fall of Troy, Aeneas. His seed produces the twins, Romulus and Remus. Romulus kills Remus and Rome is born.
The parallels between then and now are remarkable. The same flaws in man exist to create political, social, and personal problems as a result of greed and pride corrupting power and causing divisive unrest. An historical account of this caliber is necessary for a people to study and improve their own history which intends to repeat.
The parallels between then and now are remarkable. The same flaws in man exist to create political, social, and personal problems as a result of greed and pride corrupting power and causing divisive unrest. An historical account of this caliber is necessary for a people to study and improve their own history which intends to repeat.
January 21, 2020
A great introduction to the historical origins, daily life and myth making of the Roman Republic with sufficient academic debate and questions to make the course worthwhile. The lecturer mentions contentious analyses of the rise of Rome by Livy and Polybius, and explanations for the fall of the republic, G.S. Aldrete encourages questioning throughout the audio lectures and accompanying PDF.
The lectures are delievered with exciting opening music which always gets me excited to start jotting down notes and the teacher's voice shows his interest and thereby makes me interested too.
Well worth 12-hours of your time.
The lectures are delievered with exciting opening music which always gets me excited to start jotting down notes and the teacher's voice shows his interest and thereby makes me interested too.
Well worth 12-hours of your time.
April 27, 2024
Gregory Aldrete's course on the Rise of Rome greatly enhanced my understanding of Rome's rise, development of a democratic republic, expansion, and the subsequent collapse of the republic. While the focus of the course is political history, Aldrete adds social history in four dynamic lectures:
Roman Slavery
Roman Women and Marriage
Children, Education, and Timekeeping
Food, Housing, and Employment.
The blend of social and political makes the period come alive. Aldrete is an excellent teacher. He is a lively lecturer with an in-depth understanding of his subject matter and the ability to translate the nuances and historical debates to his listeners.
Highly recommend
Roman Slavery
Roman Women and Marriage
Children, Education, and Timekeeping
Food, Housing, and Employment.
The blend of social and political makes the period come alive. Aldrete is an excellent teacher. He is a lively lecturer with an in-depth understanding of his subject matter and the ability to translate the nuances and historical debates to his listeners.
Highly recommend
August 8, 2022
4.5 ⭐
One of the better "ancient rome" lecture series and books I've read/listened to! Really engaging and concise, at least to me, someone who has listened to about 6 or 7 ancient rome audiobooks in the last year. I liked the focus on the big picture and the lectures on normal people and culture rather than repeating the same stories about the big names over and over. Obviously there's some repetition, you can't talk about the republic without discussing key players, but Aldrete does a good job making things clear and interesting.
One of the better "ancient rome" lecture series and books I've read/listened to! Really engaging and concise, at least to me, someone who has listened to about 6 or 7 ancient rome audiobooks in the last year. I liked the focus on the big picture and the lectures on normal people and culture rather than repeating the same stories about the big names over and over. Obviously there's some repetition, you can't talk about the republic without discussing key players, but Aldrete does a good job making things clear and interesting.
March 10, 2025
This was my first read/listen to anything regarding the history of Rome. I think this is a great beginning point for anyone getting into reading and learning about the history of Rome. It doesn’t bog you down terribly with names and dates, but focuses on the Roman people as a whole as well; diving into the culture and experiences of the body of Rome. These lectures have definitely inspired me to read more in-depth lectures. Highly recommend!
May 19, 2022
As someone who didn't know much about Rome before I listened to this, I really enjoyed this and I feel like I now have a pretty good understanding about at least how the republic of Rome worked and the general history of what went down. I do prefer the more lecture style course such as in a classroom and recorded live but this was nice and clean audio and the presenter was pretty solid.
October 7, 2022
A decent enough summary of the period in question. A feel that a thematic approach would have been much better, and indeed, the lectures dealing with questions of education, women's, slaves' lives, oratory and philosophy, etc. are much stronger, than the political narrative, which feels rushed, trying to cover too much and thus covering too little.
April 14, 2025
Great introductory overview of the rise and fall of Rome, with a few detours into Roman culture and way of life to round out the experience. There were some places where I wished for more detail and some places where I could have used less, but overall this was an excellent summary of a long period of history that has helped me identify where I’d like to dive in deeper for later reading.
September 24, 2025
Very compressed history of the centuries of the Roman Republic, but presented in an entirely informative and educational style. The professor presents the material well and with enthusiasm. I learned a lot about a variety of topics and countless questions I had going in to the lecture series were answered for me. Highly recommended.
April 14, 2020
Closer to 4.5 stars.
Nice description of the rise of Rome and therefore ending with the end of the Republic. I especially like some emphasis on what it was like to live within the Republic and the differences between the classes of citizenship.
Nice description of the rise of Rome and therefore ending with the end of the Republic. I especially like some emphasis on what it was like to live within the Republic and the differences between the classes of citizenship.
August 9, 2020
4.5 stars. Very clearly presented timeline (and some great information on daily life in the middle) but it deserves more than 12 hours. This is the fault of Great Courses and not the professor, though.
August 19, 2020
Excellent, concise, no-nonsense overview of the Roman history up to the fall of the Republic. Especially I liked that it also included a good overview how Romans actually lived (housing, food, employment, education, calendar, slavery etc.). Really enjoyed it.
July 12, 2022
Interesting survey of the first half of Roman history! The professor was engaging and picked interesting topics. I would have been interested to hear more about any archaeological work done on Rome’s early history- much of the course was focused on semi-mythical accounts of Rome’s founding.
January 19, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up because this professor is such a good speaker and his lectures are very clear and organized. I gave a rare 5 stars to his History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective. This course on Rome was informative but fairly dry. Still would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews