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

Werner Eck (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405151498 | ISBN-13: 978-1405151498 | Publication Date: August 21, 2007 | Edition: 2

In this updated edition of his concise biography, Werner Eck tells the extraordinary story of Augustus, Rome's first monarch.

• Incorporates literary, archaeological, and legal sources to provide a vivid narrative of Augustus’ brutal rise to power
  
• Written by one of the world’s leading experts on the Roman empire
  
• Traces the history of the Roman revolution and Rome’s transformation from a republic to an empire
  
• Includes a new chapter on legislation, further information on the monuments of the Augustan period, more maps and illustrations, and a stemma of Augustus’ family
  
• Thorough, straightforward, and organized chronologically, this is an ideal resource for anyone approaching the subject for the first time

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eck has produced a second edition of The Age of Augustus good news, especially as this is not just the same lucid book of 2003 with additional bibliography, but has a new chapter, a section on the German wars, and new illustrative material, growing by more than forty pages." (Greece & Rome, 2008)

Praise for the first edition:

“[Eck’s] 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 … 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: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405151498
• ISBN-13: 978-1405151498
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.7 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #666,438 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

By 

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.