best books roman history image
jmacki1
I'm thinking of a short list of basic books which would give the reader a firm grasp of the essentials of Roman history. Something a motivated undergraduate could digest during a semester of dedicated study.
Answer
1. The Conquest of Gaul - Caesar
2. Caesar - Theodore Ayrault Dodge
3. The Later Roman Empire - Ammianus Marcellinus
4. In The Name of Rome: The Men Who Won The Roman Empire - Adrian Goldsworthy
5. Rubicon: The Last Years of The Roman Empire - Tom Holland
6. The Histories - Tacitus
1. The Conquest of Gaul - Caesar
2. Caesar - Theodore Ayrault Dodge
3. The Later Roman Empire - Ammianus Marcellinus
4. In The Name of Rome: The Men Who Won The Roman Empire - Adrian Goldsworthy
5. Rubicon: The Last Years of The Roman Empire - Tom Holland
6. The Histories - Tacitus
What are good books to read about Roman History and Mythology?
John
I picked up Edith Hamilton's "Mythology". Is there any other book on Roman mythology that is a must-read? And as for history I'm lost. I've considered Livy, but I heard he's unreliable, and I've considered Gibbon but I heard his writing style is horrific. Both Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and Livy's The Early History of Rome are a couple thousand pages, which I could overlook if not for their aforementioned flaws. So what do I read?
Answer
If looking for a secondary source for roman history check out
http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Rise-Fall-Empire/dp/1846072840/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356067880&sr=8-1&keywords=roman+history
For primary sources that span the gap between history and mythology try the aeneid by virgil
http://www.amazon.com/Aeneid-Penguin-Classics-Virgil/dp/0143106295/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356068054&sr=1-1&keywords=aeneid+virgil
which tells the mythological tale that gives the roman empire legitimacy by linking its foundation with survivors of the trojan war (thus linking virgil to homer)
and the metamorphoses by Ovid, a great overview of roman mythology written by a roman.
http://www.amazon.com/Metamorphoses-Penguin-Classics-Ovid/dp/014044789X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356068256&sr=1-1&keywords=ovid
I'd start with the secondary sources (edith hamilton was a great start) then proceed to the primary sources. I'd actually start with the iliad and the odyssey by Homer. A great intro and an enthralling read, and the Greek gods became the Roman gods so its a great place to start,
If looking for a secondary source for roman history check out
http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Rise-Fall-Empire/dp/1846072840/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356067880&sr=8-1&keywords=roman+history
For primary sources that span the gap between history and mythology try the aeneid by virgil
http://www.amazon.com/Aeneid-Penguin-Classics-Virgil/dp/0143106295/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356068054&sr=1-1&keywords=aeneid+virgil
which tells the mythological tale that gives the roman empire legitimacy by linking its foundation with survivors of the trojan war (thus linking virgil to homer)
and the metamorphoses by Ovid, a great overview of roman mythology written by a roman.
http://www.amazon.com/Metamorphoses-Penguin-Classics-Ovid/dp/014044789X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356068256&sr=1-1&keywords=ovid
I'd start with the secondary sources (edith hamilton was a great start) then proceed to the primary sources. I'd actually start with the iliad and the odyssey by Homer. A great intro and an enthralling read, and the Greek gods became the Roman gods so its a great place to start,
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