The beauty of this book is that it lays out the beginning of Rome, from its mythological beginnings to the rise, the creation of a huge empire, and to its eventual fall. It is all here in one continuous timeline and story. The benefit of an overview, such as this one, is that the whole scale and breadth of the Roman civilization and culture are there for the reader to read and understand. Thanks for the images of the war elephants in action; they were certainly fearsome. For soldiers who'd never seen them before, they must have been terrifying.
The Roman Republic lasted 5 centuries because of its incredible military and its ability to assimilate different groups into their governmental system. However, this book shows just what a messy process it was. No one had done it before and they made mistakes. Then the Roman Republic transitioned to the Roman Empire, complete with the five emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. The arts were in their Golden Age, but the country was rife with cruelty and conspiracies.
The final segment of this book shows how Rome fell. There were so many causes: A plague, debasement of the currency, and economic depression all converged to unstabilize the country. Barracks emperors became the norm (emperors backed by military devoted to him, not the country of Rome). With the leadership in disarray and barbarians at their gates, people were focused on grabbing more power, not protecting the Empire. When the Plague of Cyprian (249 - 262 CE) swept through the empire, the population was decimated, scattered, and hopeless in their misery. By this time, the Roman Empire spanned three continents.
The long reigns of Diocletian and Constantine helped stabilize the empire but after they were gone, the empire collapsed slowly. Internal conflict, ruler incompetence, and ceaseless hordes of barbarians finally doomed the western empire. The concluding chapter was a wonderful wrap-up of the significance of the Roman Empire to the world.
The Roman Republic lasted 5 centuries because of its incredible military and its ability to assimilate different groups into their governmental system. However, this book shows just what a messy process it was. No one had done it before and they made mistakes. Then the Roman Republic transitioned to the Roman Empire, complete with the five emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. The arts were in their Golden Age, but the country was rife with cruelty and conspiracies.
The final segment of this book shows how Rome fell. There were so many causes: A plague, debasement of the currency, and economic depression all converged to unstabilize the country. Barracks emperors became the norm (emperors backed by military devoted to him, not the country of Rome). With the leadership in disarray and barbarians at their gates, people were focused on grabbing more power, not protecting the Empire. When the Plague of Cyprian (249 - 262 CE) swept through the empire, the population was decimated, scattered, and hopeless in their misery. By this time, the Roman Empire spanned three continents.
The long reigns of Diocletian and Constantine helped stabilize the empire but after they were gone, the empire collapsed slowly. Internal conflict, ruler incompetence, and ceaseless hordes of barbarians finally doomed the western empire. The concluding chapter was a wonderful wrap-up of the significance of the Roman Empire to the world.
