Chronicle of the Roman Republic

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Summary: Informative and entertaining...
Review: A very enjoyable read for those curious about the subject.

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Summary: A fascinating and impressively accessible historical study
Review: Chronicle Of The Roman Republic: The Rulers Of Ancient Rome From Romulus To Augustus by Roman history expert Philip Matyszak is a fascinating and impressively accessible historical study of the fifty-seven kings, consuls, and tribunes who ruled during Rome's gradual evolution and transformation from a republic into that of an empire. From such famous figures such as Julius Caesar, to lesser-known leaders like Cato the Censor, these Roman leader's great deeds, cruelties, and political acts that shaped the flow of history for good or for ill are straightforwardly presented in this highly recommended, pictorially illustrated, historical survey, which was written for (and is especially recommended to the attention of) non-specialist general readers.

Rating:
Summary: turned me off
Review: I was looking through this book at Borders and I came across a statement that bothered me. The author says (actually quotes another author saying) something along the lines that Caesar's exploits in Gaul resulted in a level of carnage and destruction not seen again until the Europeans settled in the Americas. I don't know how much more such anti-American garbage this book contains (for I put it back on the shelve after reading that) but that was enough to make me look elsewhere for material on the Roman Republic.

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Summary: One of the Best I've seen
Review: I've read a lot of books on ancient Rome--everything from primary sources like Tacitus to Gibbon to modern scholarship. This book, quite frankly, stands out above them all.

It is very accurate factually, it explains some things (like Roman naming conventions, symbols, etc) that are hard to find in a straight-forward way in other books. Also, it doesn't fall into the trap of simply giving us the history of a few famous men--it does a comprehensive job of all parts of the early republic.

Nor does it fall into the trap of segmenting early Rome into conventional "eras" (Kings, Punic War, Civil Wars, etc). It simply makes chapters according to the chronology and makes even some of the less well known parts of early Rome interesting.

It handles both military/political history and cultural/religious history. Overall, as an experienced reader on ancient Rome this is both a great introductory book as well as handling more advanced aspects of Roman history.

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Summary: Bad proofing
Review: Matyszak is an excellent and erudite author, and this is one of his best efforts. I am however, surprised that an obvious error was allowed to slip past the editors and into print. On page seven there is a photo of the Roman forum as seen through what is obviously the center arch of the Arch of Septimius Severus. The view, however, is described in the adjacent annotation as "...a view through the Arch of Tiberius...." There is not now, nor has there ever been, an Arch of Tiberius in the forum or anywhere else in Rome of which I am aware.

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Summary: Great Book!
Review: The Chronicle of the Roman Republic is a great book. If you enjoy history, this book is for you. Most of us are familiar with the Emperors of the Roman Empire such as Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula, but many people do not know about the times before the Emperors came into power. This book dives into the Republic of Rome covering every aspect of life from those times. The first chapter of the book is on the kings of Rome. The founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus are in this chapter. The kings came right before the beginning of the Republic. The next chapters of the book tell how the Republic was created and how it eventually ended. What is so good about this book is that it tells you every leader of Rome and gives them each their own profile. The famous leaders such as Pompey the Great, Crassus, Sulla and Julius Caesar are inculded in the book. Even lesser known people are shown, such as Cato the Censor and Spartacus. Not only does this book cover who the leaders were, but it tells you about Romes birth as a city, Romes many enemies, such as the Sabines and Etruscans, Romes accomplishments as a city and Romes great archicture. This book is a great addition to any history lovers collection. A great book that would go with this one is called Chronicles of the Roman Emperors. This book covers the time after the fall of the Republic to the eventual fall of Roman Empire. This book contains the same interesting features that this book has.

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Summary: Fascinating coffee table reading
Review: This book is a truly enjoyable book, summarizing the history and mythology of the early Roman Empire. Unlike many works on the topic, it does not attempt to get too scholarly or erudite, but just puts out what is important. I particularly like the attitude of the author of pointing out areas which are more likely legend than fact, but illustrating their importance as a manifestation of what the Romans believed.

Chock full of modules, photos, drawings, and graphics, this is an ideal sourcebook that can be read in one long siting, from time to time, or simply as a resource. The best thing about the book is it contains numerous tidbits of Roman history that relate to the Modern World and convert into excellent cocktail party or watercooler talk. Wonder how the tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold began ? Read the chapter on the Sabine Women. Curious about the naming of the months ? The derivation of a "sardonic grin" ? "candidate: ? I am just tipping the iceberg, here. Everything from the Punic Wars, to the operation of the Roman government, to how to wear a toga is in here. Enjoy and learn.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but some problems.
Review: This is a very good exploration of the men who made Rome from a small village among 7 hills into the greatest power in the known world and led it into an empire. There are so many less famous Romans in this book that I never heard of, listed with great detail of their life, including titles and offices held during the republic. The only gripe I have is that the author has an extreme dislike of Caesar, which leads him to make comments such as how a million Gauls died and another million were enslaved when Caesar conquered Gaul solely to make the reader think less of Caesar and his accomplishments. He also says that "...history has been kinder to Caesar than he deserves." If he had been less contemptous of Caesar this would have been a superb book. As it is, the book is a great compilation of the Romans who forged the Roman Republic and made Rome.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but some problems.
Review: This is a very good exploration of the men who made Rome from a small village among 7 hills into the greatest power in the known world and led it into an empire. There are so many less famous Romans in this book that I never heard of, listed with great detail of their life, including titles and offices held during the republic. The only gripe I have is that the author has an extreme dislike of Caesar, which leads him to make comments such as how a million Gauls died and another million were enslaved when Caesar conquered Gaul solely to make the reader think less of Caesar and his accomplishments. He also says that "...history has been kinder to Caesar than he deserves." If he had been less contemptous of Caesar this would have been a superb book. As it is, the book is a great compilation of the Romans who forged the Roman Republic and made Rome.