A History of Rome to A.D.565 [Paperback]

A.E.R. Boak (Author), William G. Sinnigen (Author), Arthur E.R. Boak (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 562 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan; 6th Revised edition edition (November 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029796903
• ISBN-13: 978-0029796900
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,922,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A textbook on Rome to AD 565. Quite thorough., September 6, 1999

By 

Robert E. Duchesneau - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Rome to A.D. 565 (Hardcover)

This is a textbook, no doubt about it. But it's still very readable and informative. The author attempts to limit himself to description of those events for which contemporary or near-contemporary accounts are available. For example, he omits all description of Rome under the kings, since the earliest manuscripts about them are from hundreds of years later. He even goes so far as to state that Romulus may not have been a historical person! There is a ruthless zeal to de-sensationalize Roman history by omitting scandalous details, making the book less exciting than it could be. But this is a textbook, not entertainment. There are excellent sections on economics, agriculture, literature, and the arts as they developed through Roman history. Significant treatment is also given to the Roman military system and its evolution as a core element of Rome's culture. If you want to learn about Rome and don't want to hear about the "juicy details", get this book. Otherwise, to AD 100, get Livy.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An utterly lifeless survey history, August 29, 2008

By 

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Rome to A.D.565 (Paperback)

This book presents the facts, yet fundamentally lacks any flavor for the absolutely remarkable story of Rome's Republic and Empire. The reader gets an outline with very little analysis or depth, a truly boring read. Unfortunately, it was this book that I first studied as a classics civ major, indeed it was the first history book I tried to seriously study. It is so dull - I just picked it up to peruse as I am reading a wonderfully meaty book by Peter Heather - that I threw it away.

Not recommended. THis is the kind of book that turns young people off to history.