The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 12: The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337 [Hardcover]

Alan Bowman (Editor), Averil Cameron (Editor), Peter Garnsey (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0521301998 | ISBN-13: 978-0521301992 | Edition: 2nd Revised & enlarged

This volume covers the history of the Roman Empire from the accession of Septimius Severus in AD 193 to the death of Constantine in AD 337. This period was one of the most critical in the history of the Mediterranean world. It begins with the establishment of the Severan dynasty as a result of civil war. From AD 235 this period of relative stability was followed by half a century of short reigns of short-lived emperors and a number of military attacks on the eastern and northern frontiers of the empire. This was followed by the First Tetrarchy (AD 284-305), a period of collegial rule in which Diocletian, with his colleague Maximian and two junior Caesars (Constantius and Galerius), restabilised the empire. The period ends with the reign of the first Christian emperor, Constantine, who defeated Licinius and established a dynasty which lasted for thirty-five years.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This series is a basic 'must' for all public and private libraries, in the community or in universities. It will be the standard general work for serious academic students and scholars for the next generation." --Religious Studies Review

"This volume, as with the rest of the set, will provide a historiographical reference for the next half century thereby justifying the cost. Both the volume and the larger set are recommended for academic, college and research libraies." --American Reference Books Annual

"This work is an excellent reference work for professional scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates." - Michael DiMaio, Jr. Salve Regina University

Book Description

This volume offers an authoritative and up-to-date account of the history of the Roman Empire from AD 193 to 337. Written by an international team of scholars, it explores in detail the political, social, economic and religious history of one of the most important periods in Mediterranean history.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 982 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2nd Revised & enlarged edition (November 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521301998
• ISBN-13: 978-0521301992
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Readable, December 7, 2006

By 

Bruce Brocka (Quad Cities) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 10: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC-AD 69 (Volume 10) (Hardcover)

Being an armchair historian, I found this work to be highly readable and entertaining. The bibliography is exhaustive (about 100 pages), as one might expect, and their are numerous maps and genealogy tables. Despite numerous authors, it does not backtrack nor contradict itself. For a scholarly work, it is impressive for its contribution, compactness (yes, even at 1,000 pages, it could have been 1,000 more) and ease of reading.

That said, it's not for those unfamiliar with the "story" of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. It more or less assumes you're quite familiar with Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Plutarch, et al, and various long standing controversies in interpretation. So if you've read a few books on the subject, you'll be quite comfortable with this work. If you've read the Routledge and Yale Press Imperial Biography series, then this work helps with context, providing the latest (and perhaps alternative) views on current scholarship.

Don't let the price scare you off. It's well worth several other books one might consider, combined.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good, up-to-date overview, July 23, 2001

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 14: Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, AD 425-600 (Hardcover)

This review concerns the volume of the Cambridge Ancient history covering 425-600.

This was a very readable book, that I have just completed. I read about eighty percent of it, only skipping or skimmimg a few sections. Admittedly, this would not make a good introductory book, and probably not even a good second book, on the period, but if you are interested in the period and have a working knowledge of it, I am sure you will find much of interest. The book begins with an evocative 150 pages or so of narrative historical overview, with the latest interpretations of chronology. Some of this material is then covered in a more thematic way, and also in an area-by-area manner, later in the book. There are also many sections on various social aspects. One such that I gained much from was the one on education. Interestingly, there was no separate section on women. The bibliography is 100 pages long, so the reading matter itself is about 1000 pages. The book was worth the money to me.