Customer Reviews

From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 BC to AD 68

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Scullard is still the baseline for all academic books written involving this time period. Most of them are compared to Scullard. I have the 4th edition of this book, but with the exception of a few expanded end notes it is the same as the 5th edition. First published in 1959 it is still the standard text for early Roman history classes. It is pretty easy to follow, but like any textbook for this period it does not cover much of anything in depth. It covers the big events from the Gracchi to Nero. The Gracchi are covered pretty well here and that is why I bought this book. Books on the Gracchi brothers are hard to find and when you do they are quite expensive. He of course covers the Julius Caesar and Augustus eras in fair detail. Not much on Nero even though he is in the title. The best thing about this book is the extensive list of further reading and Scullard's notes. A good introductory book and despite its age it is still easy to read prose.

From The Gracchi to Nero by H.H. Scullard is an excellent starting point for any student or enthusiast of Roman history. His explorations and explanations of the rise and fall of the military dynasts Pompey, Marius, Sulla, Caesar and Octavian are well written and fascinating. The book is extremely valuable for its detailed footnotes and thus provides the student with avenues for further analysis and research.

Scullard provides the advanced class with a good solid examination of one of the most confusing and violent periods of Roman history. Using his work, one can see how a Caesar or a Pompey or even an Augustus is not only an outstanding man but a product of his society and his time. A good lesson for those who think one man can make all the difference without considering the complexity of politics and human culture.

An excellent book for those who want an overview of the time period, as well as for the person who has not read a great deal on ancient Rome. The bibliography and endnotes are extensive, and they allow any interested reader to find more information about particular topics. Highly recommended

For almost fifty years, H. H. Scullard's text on Roman history, From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 B.C to A. D. 68, has been a staple of introductory Ancient History courses. Scullard's writing is clear, concise, and for the most part it stays away from embellishment or falling into the trap of creating a coherent narrative. While the endless stream of names, dates, places and times can be difficult to keep track of, the book if collected into a mostly chronological and thematic selection of chapters revolving around a particular topic - The Gracchi, Pompey the Great, Julius Ceasar and so on.

The work is split into roughly two halves. The first deals with the time from the Gracchi brothers and their attempts at social reform, to the Second Triumvirate, when Octavian, Antony and Lepidus combined their power for the good of the Roman Republic. Along the way we learn of Brutus' treachery against Julius Ceasar, we learn of the rise and fall of Marius, who instigated reforms that allowed cracks to form in the previously impregnable Republic, and of poor Sulla.

The second half focuses on Octavian's massive success in making himself the sole ruler of Rome. He destroyed the Republic, shifted the power from the Senate to himself and, to a lesser extend, the People, and he also, somewhat amazingly, set in place a structure that would create peace for two hundred odd years, which would then go on to assist in the creation of modern Europe. Indeed, the 'universal peace' or Pax Romana of 27 B.C. or so until about 180 A.D. has inspired many nations and people's around the world to believe in the possibility of a further universal peace in our own (or their own) time.

These halves are bookended with examinations of the literature, architecture, philosophy and general lifestyles of the times. These parts are perhaps the most relevant for reader's interested in understanding the 'feel' of Ancient Rome during it's most turbulent and difficult times. The wars, betrayals and changes of the period from the Gracchi to Nero inspired names that are still great today - Virgil and his Aeneid, Horace and his satires, Livy and his magnificent history of Rome, Cicero and his speeches, Seneca and his philosophy. Scullard goes to great lengths to show that Ancient Rome was not beholden to Ancient Greece for its genius, instead it built upon the towers of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and countless more to create its own mythology, its own art, its own method of artistic and creative expression.

How did Rome go from a small city state - of which there were many in Italy at the time - to the massive, 'world' spanning empire that it later became? Scullard surprisingly offers no hard and fast answers to this, though several reasons may be gleaned from the texts. The complex political machinations of the Roman Republic encouraged - almost demanded - that ambitious young men go off in search of war and conquest, and this of course led to ever expanding borders. But it was also the interplay between the Senators, the Consuls, the military and the People which ensured a constant and active debate regarding the spread of wealth and spoils from military activity. And, while it was rare (very rare), a man could rise from relative obscurity to become a 'novus homo' or new man - meaning he had risen to the ranks of the Senate and Consulship.

There are a lot of names and places mentioned throughout the text. At times, it can be overwhelming. Scullard is providing an introductory text, not an exhaustive text, though sometimes it could be wished he had slowed down a little to help put some of the minor players into perspective. The chapters focus on the major figures of the time, which leaves little to those who, while they achieved much and were certainly notable and effective during their lives, have not gone on and entered the pantheon of great Roman statesmen. This is a shame, and detracts from the overall value of the text. It is akin to knowing post-WWII history only through the American Presidents - sure, you would understand the gist of what has occurred in the last sixty years, but you lose a lot of the colour by not also knowing the details of the Russian, the Europeans, the British, and the minor players of all these countries.

In the fifth edition of this work, there are over one hundred pages of notes, which range from standard lists of further texts to read, to summaries of laws, lands, legions and literature. There are other summaries of course; happily, Scullard does not limit himself to the letter l. These notes are not necessary for a full understanding of the text, but they do go some way to combat the criticism that the minor characters are left merely as names and dates.

The fifth edition, published by Routledge, is a handsome book. The pages are thick and creamy, and the binding appears to be very strong. It was a pleasure to read from a utility perspective, as well as from the content within. Scullard's work is served well by Routledge, and both the neophyte Ancient Rome scholar and the casual enthusiast will find something - many things - to enjoy from this work. Well recommended.

Someone must have given Scullard some writing advice after his dismal early history of Rome History of the Roman World: 753 to 146 BC because this book is much more readable. Unfortunately Scullard's lack of writing skill still causes much discomfort for the casual reader.

What separates this history from his treatment of earlier Rome is that this time around his writing holds together the various historical strands and the main point is never obscured by Scullard's tendency to wander off on tangents. Due to the very well delineated epochs that he is trying to cover, he can focus on a single period without significant overlap or backtracking which was the bane of his earlier book. Each period is defined by the major leader of that time. His formulaic "rise and fall of XXX" format works well here, and the history lends itself to this format.

Where the topic wanders away from major leaders, Scullard is back in the deep end trying to manage too many threads at once. While he is slightly more successful this time, his weakness is still evident.

I found his overuse of colloquialisms annoying. Where a straightforward factual account would suffice, Scullard sometimes tries to inject levity (I presume) by using a turn of phrase. Sometimes this is impactless, other times it obscures the facts. One example is where he uses the phrase "fell on his sword" instead of "commit suicide". The colloquialism forces the reader to imagine the leader actually falling on his sword, which brings up the question of whether he, in fact, fell on his sword. In a genre where facts are paramount, such word usage hurts the book and causes more irrelevant questions than answers.

I am still disappointed with the lack of maps. Also disappointing was the lack of pictures depicting Roman coins or other artifacts.

His previous book was so flawed I never thought to mention this, but the use of endnotes rather than footnotes is incomprehensible. Rather than flesh out his points immediately, the reader needs to flip to the end to get Scullard's commentary. Footnotes would be much more natural format for this type of history. Not to mention that there are over a hundred pages of endnotes. I'm not going to wade through all that to find out that Scullard just says Ibid. The book would actually work out to its 400+ pages instead of being 300+ pages and 100+ pages of notes.

Scullard also assumes the reader's ability to read Latin. Frequently he uses a Latin quote, but he never gives the translation. This is inexcusable.

I found this book to be far better than his previous book, but it's still a far cry from an accessible history for casual readers. 3 stars for the history, but still no stars for Scullard's writing.

I am very surprised to find only 4 reviews on Amazon about this marvellous collection of primary sources.
Scullard's 'From the Gracchi to Nero' is the definitive primary source material for the period covering the Fall of the Republic through the Flavian Emperors. Whilst it may be viewed as slightly out-of-date, any serious student of Roman History musst have this on the shelf and it should be very dog-eared. There is nothing else out there to parallel its usefulness.
An absolute must-buy.

An excellent introduction to this turbulent period in Roman political history. Recommended for all students of Rome. Very thorough, but stays interesting throughout. Very factual, yet still allows one to form one's own ideas on the transformation of Rome from republic to principate. Scullard's extensive footnotes provide students with ideas on both the Ancient sources as well as modern contributions. An excellent Book!

This is a very well written, well researched, history of the period. It is quite conventional, which is not surprising given its age. One minor drawback is the hero-worship accorded Cicero, which, given the necessarily short discussion of everyone else except Augustus, is disconsonant. Also, there is a notable socially conservative tone (lots of references to the decay of the family and the licentiousness of women) that pervades the book, as well as a shortage of interest in the minor characters (women, children and "foreigners" get short shrift). Finally, there is a serious absence of illustrations--maps, drawings, etc.--the map order issues of the first volume are resolved here by the total exclusion of maps.

But aside from these quibbles, and excellent introduction.

Rome from 133 BC to 68 AD is when everything important happens. Rome at its height, Rome with the great and powerful families, and expanding power. Rome of Glory, Gold and Passion. This is a simple history that tries to cover all the major, and minor, events in this timeframe. And it does a smashing job at it. 368 pages of social life, political backstabbing, military conflicts, business deals, and powerful leaders. The book really does focus on the change from Republic to Empire, showing us how the government institutions evolve, adapt and, in some cases, are completely replaced to fit the current needs of those in power. To understand the Imperial government you really do need to understand the inner workings of the Republic and this book does a great job in helping us to follow how one changes into the other. I would suggest it for any library on Roman History, Ancient History, or Political History.