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    Another review has been presented by forum member "Divi Filius"

     

    With his first publication, the young Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, Josiah Osgood, does not attempt to challenge the mainstream beliefs on the decline of the republic; nor does he propose any new theories, he makes this clear in his introduction. Instead of focusing on the very few at the top; their politics and their wars, he focuses on how all of this affected the very many on the very bottom: the men and women around the Mediterranean who lived through, or died as a result of, the turmoil engulfing the final transition between Republic and Empire. With Caesar?s Legacy, Osgood has written something original, accessible and scholarly in a period of history undertaken by nearly every major historian of classical Rome...

     

    Read the full review of Caesar?s Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire by Josiah Osgood.

    Guest
    Review by forum member "Caldrail".
     
    When we talk about ancient warfare, inevitably the discussion drifts toward the arms and equipment of the day. The relative merits of sword and shield can give rise to raging arguements over what might be seen as minor details. Our love of artwork reflects that as many books featuring Greek and Roman warfare are packed with colourful graphics depicting major variations of arms and equipment. However aesthetic they may be, most books of this type do not go into much detail about how wars were fought by the men who used these items...
     
    Read the full review of Greek & Roman Warfare by John Drogo Montagu.
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    Septimius Severus

    By Guest, in News,

    The assassination of Commodus, followed by the short reign of Pertinax and the auction of the empire to Didius Julianus, led to civil war and the rise of Septimius Severus. Though the concept of the soldier emperor was not a new development (i.e. Vespasian, Trajan), Severus? life was strictly of the military, both before and after his accession to rule Rome. His victory led to a moderately stable administrative reign, though his continued military exploits would strain the treasury and his somewhat harsh measures would taint his relationship with the aristocracy...
     
    Septimius Severus
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    Thanks to community member 'Decimus Caesar', we have added another review...
     
    "Although I know their names well, I won?t mention them at all?they only lived a short while?and as a result accomplished nothing worth mentioning." So wrote the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea of the last emperors of Rome. His opinion has been shared by many people ever since, and as a result, the last decade of the Western Empire has been largely ignored outside of academic circles. It is therefore a breath of fresh air to come across a title like ?The Last Roman?. For in this book, Adrian Murdoch has attempted to write the first popular history of Romulus Augustulus ? a difficult job considering, as Murdoch tells us:
     
    "It is not known when he was born ; it is not known when he died; it is not known where he was buried. No speeches, pronouncements or epigrams have survived. There is no hint of his likes or dislikes; there is not hint of sexuality, conventional or otherwise, to add a frision of historical excitement; there is not even any particularly gory violence."...
     
    The entire review of The Last Roman: Romulus Augustulus and the Decline of the West by Adrian Murdoch
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    Carthage: A History

    By Guest, in News,

    Community member Pantagathus provides an addition to our growing stable of ancient subject reviews...
     
    "If you?ve ever tried to put together a decent bibliography on Carthage and Punic culture & history you know that it?s no easy task. The combination of the seeming monopoly the French had over North Africa archaeology for much of the 19th and 20th Centuries, the lack of reliable primary sources, the scarcity of experts on Punic epigraphy and advances made with each new dig all come together to ensure that finding a definitive, up to date source on the subject in English is a tall order indeed..."
     
    Read the full review: Carthage: A History by Serge Lancel.
    Guest
    The reign of Marcus Didius Severus Julianus is largely insignificant and unremarkable except for the nature in which it began, and its direct influence on the outbreak of civil war. It was Didius Julianus who bought the throne from the very same praetorians who assassinated Pertinax, his imperial predecessor.
     
    Didius Julianus was born January 29, AD 137 likely in Mediolanum (Milan) into a prominent political family of the era. He was raised in the house of Domitia Lucilla (the mother of Marcus Aurelius) and enjoyed her support, as well as her son?s, throughout his early career. As such, Didius Julianus rose steadily through the ranks of the cursus honorum reaching the post of quaestor a year before the ?legal? age (such legalities were often overlooked for the immediate court of the imperial family)...
     
    Didius Julianus - Auction of the Empire
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    I, Claudius by the BBC

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    Community member The Augusta provides an an interesting look at the classic BBC television program.
     
    Good drama never dies ? it is digitally re-mastered and marketed a generation later. Nor does good literature ever die ? reprints are constant for canonical works that have stood the test of time against more modern rivals that may appear for a brief print-run, fail to make the grade, and end their lives on the remainders table. When good drama is based on good literature, there is usually an instant recipe for lasting success and critical acclaim....
     
    I, Claudius
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    Forum Upgrade

    By Guest, in News,

    As of Saturday 3/31/07, we are in the process of updating our Roman history discussion forum. We don't expect the upgrade to take long, but please forgive any inconvenience. We hope you like the new look.
     
    UNRV.com
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    Essay Contest Winners

    By Guest, in News,

    With a very hearty thank you to all of our participants, we are pleased to announce 3 winners in our soon to be regularly occurring essay contest.
     
    We received a respectable total of 12 entries with varying subject matter, academic approach and presentation. From studies in the Roman army and government to overviews of societal functions and historical events, the essays ran the entire gamut of our entry criteria. Judging was difficult and we were pleased with the overall quality...
     
    Winner's Announcement
    Entries available in the newly revived Academia forum
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    Rome, Inc.

    By Guest, in News,

    Another review has been completed for our Roman Books section, thanks to community member Ursus.
     
    Psychotic leaders. Conflict and conquest. Back stabbing and intrigue. Extremities of wealth and power. The rise and collapse of empires. Are we talking about Ancient Rome? No, just another day in the life of a large corporation.
     
    Any Romanophile who is also a creature of corporate culture may enjoy Stanley Bing?s Rome, Inc. This famous satirical writer from "Fortune" column uses Roman history as a parody for the vicissitudes of the modern business world. Analogies are drawn between wars and marketing competition, conquests and corporate acquisition, patricians and executives. Such comparisons are not exactly novel (having been the political Left?s mantra for generations). But none too often are they branded with a biting humor and a focus on practical applications for modern life...
     
    ...read the full review of Rome, Inc. by Stanley Bing.
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