Tag Archives: Rome

Of Romans, manly saints, and the beginning of the end

Posted on September 4, 2019 by

I spent much of August crawling through the first volume of Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  I was very careful, in making my list, that I specified “Volume I”: I  had little interest in trying … Continue reading →

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Of Caesar, Aeneas, and Selma

Posted on March 2, 2019 by

This past week I’ve been dogsitting in the country, and if you’ve never enjoyed a rural sunset with a glass of wine and Chloe Feoranzo playing in the background, it’s an experience I can recommend. While I was away, February … Continue reading →

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Antiquity

Posted on September 10, 2018 by

Antiquity: The Civilization of the Ancient World© 2003 Norman F. Cantor256 pages Perhaps western history is all Greek to you. In that case, Norman Cantor’s Antiquity may shed a little light on the subject. It is a brief work, scarcely over … Continue reading →

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Gates of Rome

Posted on August 26, 2017 by

I rarely give up on a book, but for this one I could never muster more than marginal enthusiasm. I’ve been watching Rome on Amazon Prime, and  contemplating Caesar’s The Conquest of Gaul, so a novel about the formation of young … Continue reading →

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Romans Without Laurels

Posted on August 23, 2017 by

Romans Without Laurels© 1962  Indro Montanelli352 pages In Romans Without Laurels, Indro Montanelli delivers an affectionate history of the Roman Republic and the empire which followed. Although a work in translation, it succeeds wonderfully as narrative history, reminding and entertaining … Continue reading →

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The Eagle and the Wolves

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

The Eagle and the Wolves© 2003 Simon Scarrow452 pages The Roman Empire’s campaign in Britain may about to become a victim of its own success. While a great victory last summer established a stronghold in the heart of the island, … Continue reading →

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The Aeneid for Boys and Girls

Posted on December 13, 2016 by

The Aeneid for Boys and Girls© 1908 Alfred J. Church300 pages What do I know of The Aeneid? It’s the story of a survivor of Troy, who goes on to found the City of Rome after breaking the Queen of Carthage’s … Continue reading →

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When the Eagle Hunts

Posted on April 15, 2016 by

When the Eagle Hunts© 2002 Simon Scarrow274 pages The Emperor Claudius is determined to make good the conquest of Britain, but his supply fleet sleeps with the fishes. The only Romans to survive a wintry crossing of the (English) channel … Continue reading →

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Lost to the West

Posted on February 14, 2016 by

Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization© 2009 Lars Brownsworth329 pages The Roman empire not not fade quietly into history in 474, when a Gothic warlord decided to run the city of Rome directly instead through a … Continue reading →

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Dictator

Posted on January 15, 2016 by

Dictator○ 2015 Robert Harris416 pages “Why should you be the one to stop Caesar?!” “Who else is there?” It is the twilight of the Roman republic.  Liberty and the rule of law are in tatters, withered by an alliance of … Continue reading →

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