The Age of Augustus (Blackwell Ancient Lives) [Paperback]

Werner Eck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0631229582 | ISBN-13: 978-0631229582 | Edition: 1

In this concise biography, Professor Werner Eck, one of the world's leading experts on the Roman empire, tells the extraordinary story of Augustus, Rome's first emperor.

• A concise and gripping account of Augustus and his age.
  
• Written by one of the world's foremost experts on the Roman Empire.
  
• Examines the transformation of Rome from a republic to a monarchy.
  
• Covers domestic and foreign policy, constitutional developments, and cultural achievements.
  
• Compares Augustus' own account of his life to other historical narratives and archaeological records.
  
• Includes a new translation of Augustus' Res Gestae with a short introduction and a substantial bibliography to aid further study.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Werner Eck is an eminent Roman historian, and this is a very good book. It provides a compact, clear, balanced survey of Augustus' career and achievements, and a just assessment of his larger place in history.’ Professor Christopher Jones, Harvard University

"It is an excellent handbook for students, and far surpasses any potential rivals." Mark Humphries, National University of Ireland, Maynooth

"His narrative (in this fine translation) is readable, rarely obscure and fluently glosses difficult terms and concepts in a way that obviates the need for a glossary. Moreover, he skillfully handles difficult constitutional matters … without confusing the beginner, points out controversial issues, and marks his divergences with current scholarly opinion." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"The book provides a narrative of Augustus' achievements and expenditures on behalf of the Roman res publica, and seems destined to replace Brunt and Moore 1967 and other commentaries on the Res Gestae as a textbook of Augustan politics. With Zanker 1988 and White 1993 it would form the backbone of a course on the age of Augsutus. Eck is of course a recognized authority. He is the pre-eminent Roman administrative historian, prosopographer, and epigraphist of our time." The Classical Journal

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (December 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631229582
• ISBN-13: 978-0631229582
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,204,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good start, July 2, 2005

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BK (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Augustus (Blackwell Ancient Lives) (Paperback)

Werner Eck's "The Age of Augustus" is a concise historical biography on Augustus. From his birth in 63BC to his death in 14AD, Augustus' accomplishments are all clearly summarized in this book. Eck discusses each transition in Augustus' life and discusses some of the issues that arose and how they were dealt with. He also analyses some of Augustus' decision after becoming Principate such as creating a standing army, continuing the perception of a Roman Republic (even though that had ceased to exist years before) and in establishing and perpetuating his humble image. The downside to this book is that it is short. Too-short when one considers the relative importance of Augustus to Rome. In short an interesting read that covers the basics of the birth of Imperial Rome. What it lacks in details it more then makes up for in providing a clear and condensed biography of the most important man in Roman history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Readable, Highly Informative, August 19, 2008

By 

Collin S. Garbarino (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Age of Augustus (Blackwell Ancient Lives) (Paperback)

In this book, Werner Eck tells the story of Augustus's life and rise to power. He demonstrates that the consolidation of Augustus's power took the entirety of his life to complete. Augustus is presented as a political genius whose rise was enabled by the military genius of others. Eck's narration is not a whitewash; he emphasizes the brutality that attended Augustus's ascent. Werner uses Augustus's Res gestae for his organizational structure. He repeatedly refers to it, highlighting the spin that Augustus places on the events.

4.0 out of 5 stars Effective but a bit bland, August 2, 2009

By 

Mike M. (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Augustus (Blackwell Ancient Lives) (Paperback)

I suppose the above title could also be ascribed to Augustus himself, especially when compared to the life and career of Julius Caeser. While Augustus never measured up to Caeser's military, rhetorical and literary genius, his achievements, and by extension the fortunes (and borders) of Rome during his four-decades rule, arguably surpassed those of his uncle. Through great savvy and ruthlessness Augustus brought relative peace and stability to Rome and ensured an orderly continuation of his policies through a planned, although at times convoluted, transfer of power to his adopted "son" Tiberius.

The German historian Eck's narrative is rather dry but his book is effective, and efficient in its brevity, in recounting the main events and achievements during Augustus' long reign. The main reason for the book's conciseness is that Eck provides little background information or context to the Roman polity, as well as to the key figures that shaped the world from which Augustus emerged. For this reason, the reader would profit by reading a book about Rome around this period(perhaps a biography of Julius Caeser) to better understand the conflicts between political factions and learn about men like Sulla, Pompey, Antony, Cicero and Caeser himself, who were at the center during this tumultuous time in Rome's history.