<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: An Extraordinary Book
Review: An extraordinary book, it alternates concise, cogent discussions of every aspect of Roman life with equally concise, cogent and elegantly translated short selections from Roman sources that illuminate the topic, serving both as a window on the lives of the Romans and as a comprehensive introduction to the wealth of Roman literature and documents that have survived. I was always entertained and often surprised and moved by the insights the book offered into Roman attitudes about government, religion, family life, economic striving, military affairs, and much, much more. Ranging from the laments of dramatists about the short attention spans of their audiences to the complaints of neighbors about the noise of early morning classes for school children, the book is so comprehensive - and Rome has so pervasively influenced our lives today - that a selection even explains why for over two thousand years grooms have traditionally carried their brides across the threshold.
Rating:
Summary: Honestly, no others compare
Review: I had to read this book for one of my University courses on Roman history (the first half), and while the other books I was forced to go through were dry and rather boring, unless your mind was concentrating hard, this book managed to bring Roman history and life ALIVE.The footnotes given are an absolute gem - to me, they WERE the high point of the book. Shelton does a fantastic job of explaining what certain words, phrases, rituals or just ideas the Romans held in the past. As stated previously, the book isn't "dry", by this I mean there isn't an action by action replay of things that don't really illustrate the true life they lived. Instead, there are bits and pieces of writings from various Romans about their life - such as a Roman writing a letter to a friend to tell him why no one attends his dinners anymore, (even with the lure of free food) because they can't stand to hear him recite his boring poetry before, during and after dinner! The humour in some of these pieces really made it all come alive. Excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: reads like a novel, concentrates on everyday life rather than great historical events. Truely the mose informative and pleasant book to read for anyone with a desire to learn more on ancient Roman life.
Rating:
Summary: most interesting book on Roman life
Review: reads like a novel, concentrates on everyday life rather than great historical events. Truely the mose informative and pleasant book to read for anyone with a desire to learn more on ancient Roman life.
Rating:
Summary: the best sourcebook
Review: Simply the best sourcebook for teaching Roman History. While Ms. Shelton is obsessed with footnotes, she has organized a myriad of helpful documents in the best possible way. This book is a real treasure.
Rating:
Summary: the best sourcebook
Review: Simply the best sourcebook for teaching Roman History. While Ms. Shelton is obsessed with footnotes, she has organized a myriad of helpful documents in the best possible way. This book is a real treasure.
Rating:
Summary: good reference for students
Review: Students may not always like reading the primary sources, but the organization of this collection makes it easy to assign relevant text and skip the unnecessary materials. A good why to expose the class to the ancient's view of themselves without overwhelming them with reading. Best if used in conjunction with a good solid historical explaination of Roman life and history.
Rating:
Summary: good reference for students
Review: Students may not always like reading the primary sources, but the organization of this collection makes it easy to assign relevant text and skip the unnecessary materials. A good why to expose the class to the ancient's view of themselves without overwhelming them with reading. Best if used in conjunction with a good solid historical explaination of Roman life and history.
Rating:
Summary: A great book on the social history of Rome
Review: This book is great because it covers various diverse areas in Roman life. It describes how the Romans had orgies, ate, cooked, drank, fought, worshiped, seduced each other, cheated on their partners, attended games, voted, made money, treated their slaves, accused others in court, defended themselves from accusers, cursed their enemies, praised gladiators, respected their ancestors, married, divorced, adopted, wrote, watched plays, studied in school, et cetera, et cetera... This book is by no means another lengthy discussion on the social history of Rome. Instead it's made up of short introductions by the author and numerous original excerpts from ancient time with plenty of footnotes for better understanding. And many of the excerpts are quite juicy and funny. A good toolbook for both serious historians and leisure readers.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book truly makes the ancient Romans come alive. The passages Shelton includes were written by ancient Romans themselves, so it is as though they are able to speak to us and tell us of their everyday lives. In this book it becomes clear that they were really not so different from people today, having many of the same problems and concerns. Shelton also uses very helpful cross referencing, as well as a thorough appendix and index, which aid the reader in fully understanding the book, which is not a difficult read at all.
<< 1 >>
|
