Product Description

This history of the Roman Empire, from 44 BC to AD 235, has three purposes: to describe what was happening in the central administration of the Empire; to indicate how life went on in Italy and the provinces, in the towns, in the countryside, and in the army camps; and to show how these two different worlds impinged on each other. The book comprises a vivid account of the most intriguing period in ancient history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22423 in Books
• Published on: 1992-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

A Short,but broad and enjoyable introduction to the Roman Empire
For a Roman Empire Novice like me, this book was just perfect. You'll get a short explanation of most terms and expressions, though some knowledge on ancient Rome is recommended. I have read a few books on the Roman Republic, so I had a slight advantage in keeping up with the pacing of the narrative. There's lots of information in such a short book, but Wells does a good job at keeping things clear and to the point.

An unexpected, but welcomed focus, was on aspects of the empire not related directly to the emperors or warfare. Things like agriculture, administration, romanization of foreign provinces, taxes, transportation,how messages and information is delivered, social and economical factors. A short overview of some of these aspect was expected, but such a good and deep focus on them was surprisingly good, again taking the books brevity into consideration. Don't worry, the Emperors and the wars get their due space and is presented objectively and vivid.

Wells gives much time to the different sources of this time and has dedicated a chapter to them, were he gives a good introduction to them and from what position they were writing their depictions of events and how this could lead to biased and subjective views, or why some eras are presented more detailed then others.

It contains a huge 'further reading' section and should prove more than helpful for those looking for more information on the Roman Empire.

The disappointing part of the book, is its horrendous printing. The text is OK for the most part, but the maps are completely useless. Be prepared to find your own maps, unless you're a expert on ancient geography, you'll probably have no idea where the different situations took place or have a clue from which directions the armies marched. This is always an important part of any history book, which I always use to get a clear picture of how wars played out.

In spite of the abysmal printing, this is a highly recommendable book for newcomers to the Roman Empire.

Very poor printing, poor quality paper
Very readable book which I am thoroughly enjoying. But get the 1984 hardback original second hand as this version is extremely poor quality - the maps are virtually impossible to read.

Excellent
Just in case you want to start learning about Roman history I dont't think that this is the place to start. This however is simply due to the depth of information which manages to hit on a number of rarely touched subjects. Rome itself is a beautiful place and this book brings to life the ruins and the statues. This is due to the views on the lives of just about everyone from the farmers to the Emperor.