If you still have some money left over from the holiday season, why not buy some books on Ancient Rome?
I haven’t personally bought this book yet, but a friend of mine recommended it to me. It’s called The Fall of the Roman Empire : A New History of Rome and the Barbarians by P. J. Heather. I’ve heard that the author makes a very compelling argument as to what caused the fall of Rome. So for those of you interested in a bit of history, you might like this book.
I personally have a copy of Augustus : The Life of Rome’s First Emperor by Anthony Everitt. After reading this book, I have come to admire and respect Emperor Augustus. I think Augustus was always in the shadow of his uncle Julius Caesar, but this book proves why Augustus is a great figure in Roman history.
By far my favorite book is Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak. Some of the books on Ancient Rome can be dry and long, but this book is original and fun to read. The book guides you through a tour of Ancient Rome and gives a detailed scenario of what you would have faced 2,000 years ago as a traveler to Rome.
If you’re interested in learning about what made the Ancient Roman military so successful, then you might be interested in The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy. The book has some nice illustrations and it gives a pretty good read up on one of the world’s strongest armies.
Another book I enjoyed reading was As The Romans Did : A Sourcebook In Roman Social History by Jo-Ann Shelton. The book chronicles the daily life of the Ancient Romans with many funny anecdotes. Old letters and writings are presented to show what the Ancient Romans thought about slaves, women and politics. I’d say, get this book, it’s a keeper.
There’s a book called Livy : The Early History of Rome. The original author was an Ancient Roman historian named Livy. The book was originally written in Latin, but it’s been translated into English by Aubrey de Selincourt. This book tells the early history of Ancient Rome, and is a book that Classics students read in university.
