Hadrian's Wall is one of the world's best known legacies of the Roman Empire. It has stood for two thousand years as a moment to its creator, and yet he himself remains an enigmatic figure. Now bestselling author Danny Danziger and Nicholas Purcell reveal the details of the extraordinary life of this mysterious man, and the age in which he lived and ruled. Hadrian was Spanish, and a restless, inquiring intellectual. He travelled constantly and spent much time in cultural centres like Athens and Alexandria. Although he was not warlike, he was a good soldier, and was comfortable mingling amongst all ranks. And yet his personal life was a complicated one, rife with scandal and conflicted sexuality. This complex character was also responsible for some of the world's most enduring architectural treasures. He built the Pantheon in Rome, the largest dome built using pre-industrial methods and a sprawling 900-room villa at Tivoli with a towering 'pumpkin dome' - a fittingly idiosyncratic memorial to this most unusual of emperors.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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"* 'Racy and readable. They give us an excellent sense of what life was like when Rome was still vigorous.' - Daily Telegraph * 'Interesting... this is a decent introduction, with more than half an eye on modern echoes.' - The Sunday Times"
About the Author
Danny Danzger is an award-winning columnist for The Sunday Times and author of eight books, including the bestselling ETON VOICES, and co-author of THE YEAR 1000 and 1215: THE YEAR OF MAGNA CARTA. Nicholas Purcell is a Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, St John's College, Oxford. He is author of THE CORRUPTING SEA: A STUDY OF MEDITERRANEAN HISTORY.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Sweeping View of Second Century Rome,
By
This review is from: Hadrian's Empire (Hardcover)
Hadrian's Empire covers just about all aspects of daily life in Ancient Rome during Hadrian's reign which took place during the first half of the second century A.D. Included are discussions on Rome as a city, the Roman Empire, the military, politics, religion, social life, attitudes towards sex, people's lodgings, food, clothing, class differences, women's roles in society, etc. Of course, Hadrian himself figures quite prominently, as do, to some degree, his immediate predecessors and successors. The authors have done an excellent job of presenting as full a picture as possible of that period in Roman history. The writing is generally clear and accessible, although the reader's interest in the text may vary depending on the specific topic under discussion. This is a valuable addition to the literature on Ancient Rome.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not so much about Hadrian,
By Germanicus (NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hadrian's Empire (Paperback)
This is an easy to read book with some interesting facts about Rome. With that said, the title is a bit deceiving. This book has more to do with Rome in the second century than it does about Hadrian in general. My copy of the book has 291 pages. If it were possible to omit the parts regarding Hadrian, the book would still probably have about 270 pages. I would recommend the book, but there are better choices if you are truly looking for a book detailing Hadrian's life.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Social history, not very interesting,
By
This review is from: Hadrian's Empire (Paperback)
One might have assumed Roman social history in the time of Hadrian was interesting. According to other accounts and sources it was, but this book doesnt make it interesting. In the interest of writing what is basically a social history of many topics this book ignores the subject, Hadrian and empire. There is little discussion of military campaigns or politics, there is too much concentration on 'Hadrain Britain' and the wall built there. Hadrian was involved in so much more and so was empire, especially in the Middle East, and yet we are not treated to any of this. This book fails as social history and at biography and at everything else. For someone truly interesting in everyday life in Rome in the period it makes interesting reading, otherwise not.
Seth J. Frantzman
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