Customer Reviews

Ancient Romans: Expanding the Classical Tradition (Oxford Profiles)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This magnum opus is expensive, but deservedly so. An enormous amount of research and knowledge has gone into creating a hugely useful book. The Contents alone covers Rome and her great leaders from 369 B.C. to A.D. 410. Then there are the four Appendices; Glossary, Further Reading; and two Indices, plus maps and plenty of artwork! The Bakers' writing style is elegant yet accessible, appropriate for older students through adult.

This book describes the lives of historic Roman figures in an interesting fashion - drawing you into the history and time of ancient Rome. I also purchased their book on Ancient Greeks. The writing is exceptional and the books are full of information. I purchased these for my children, but instead have been reading them myself.

This book consists of short (2-4 page) bios of famous ancient Romans--mostly generals, politicians and poets. Each bio gives some useful basic information about the individual, such as dates of birth/death, major accomplishments, interactions with other historical notables, key battles won or artistic works, etc.

Though fascinated by ancient Roman history, I found these bios very dull. The people are reduced to a few dry facts and don't have much life. They're presented as change agents, but motivations and personalities are largely ignored.

Also, because Roman history is told through the bios, there is a lot of repetition, where the similar material is presented in the bios of people who interacted, such as Cicero and Caesar, Augustus and Agrippa, etc.

I believe this book is designed for young adults, but I would not recommend it for younger readers, as it is too dry to inspire curiosity to learn more. Unresolved questions, such as what was Caesar really trying to accomplish and the true motivations for his murder, aren't explored from multiple perspectives that inspire the reader to think and wonder.

Though limited in scope, it does seem well-researched and has useful indexes and basic facts about famous Romans. A useful reference for a library or for research purposes. A student writing a book report might find it useful.