Julius Caesar and Ancient Rome in World History

by James Barter

Provides an examination of the life and times of Julius Caesar and how his actions played a part in the fall of the Roman Republic, enhanced with timeline, chapter notes, and index.

Genres: History

128 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a pithy summary of about 200 years of Roman history, roughly from 264 BC to the reign of Augustus.

In only 128 pages, we learn about the three Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome, including Hannibal and his famous elephants; the proposed reforms of the Gracchi brothers and their subsequent murders at the hands of the Roman Senate; Marius' campaign against Jugurtha, followed by the civil war between Marius and Sulla; Sulla's dictatorship; the slave revolt led by Spartacus; the First Triumvirate of Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey; Caesar crossing the Rubicon River against the express orders of the Senate, starting a second civil war between Caesar and Pompey; Caesar's assassination on the Senate floor; the Second Triumvirate of Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus; Antony and Octavian tracking down and defeating Cassius and Brutus, the chief architects of Caesar's assassination; the civil war between Octavian and Antony, leading to the deaths of both Marc Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt; and finally, Octavian adopting the name Augustus, becoming the first Roman emperor, and the beginning of the Roman Empire, which would last for another 500 years.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant, simple overview of about 200 years' time in Ancient Rome.