Customer Reviews

The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

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

 

 

This Very Short Introduction is blessedly free of the typos that usually infect this otherwise excellent series, and for once, the illustrations are relevant, indeed central, to the text. There is a timeline and a very useful map at the end of the book, but the text itself is not a conventional, chronological narrative of the rise of Empire. It is rather a series of essays on a selection of topics, covering the period from Augustus to Commodus, that is, from around 30 BC to about AD 190. These excursions through aspects of the subject are concerned almost as much with how history is rewritten and reinterpreted as it is with the actual facts of history. There is an emphasis on architecture, particularly as an expression of social status and political ideology, an emphasis that will suit the taste of some readers more than others. The prose is clear and very readable, with the occasional topical, colloquial flourish ("The Empire writes back", "Through the keyhole") which can seem somewhat forced. Authoritative and illuminating, this little book is an essential addition to the reading list of anyone interested in ancient history.

It is indeed very short, and quite pleasant to read. No doubt the author might have selected other topics from the vast field of possibilities, but in the spirit of reviewing the book he wrote rather than some other that he might possibly have written I must rate this quite highly. He manages a balance between political and social history, with a dollop of economic history as well, and adds a coda about the uses to which Roman history is put in the modern world, including commentary about films.

The author highlights some distinguishing aspects of the Roman Empire that are quite interesting. Among these: the bureaucracy that governed the huge geographic area of the Empire was astonishingly small, compared to later empires. The chapter on Christians is quite interesting, particularly the "martyr complex" of the early communities of the faithful and their belief that the world's end was imminent.

There is a good outline of debates within the Roman empire at the time, about how civilized an empire that used brutal means to establish and maintain its authority really was.

This really should be named A very short, selective and somewhat odd social history of The Roman Empire. If you are looking for a political/military history of the roman empire (hereafter RE) then go elsewhere. There is almost none to be found here. Whatever discussion there is of the emperors is only in the contexts of other subjects. Kelly does provide you with a chronology. Big deal. That I can get off the web.

What he gives us with is six chapters of social history (think sociology applied to an historical subject). That's okay but even there what he chooses to talk about and what he chooses to leave out is never really explained. There is next to nothing about slavery, the only discussion of women is in regards to birth rates (more on this later- that is one part of the book I found really useful) and no discussion of sexuality.

Even the stuff he does discuss is oddly focused and organized. His chapter on Christianity starts off with a discussion of gladiators and the arenas where they slaughtered the Christians. Kelly then segues into a discussion of the early Christian attitude toward martyrdom then veers into a reflection on how the RE shifted focus from torturing individual Christians to destroying their sacred texts.
Kelly muses that if only the RE had done that earlier they might have been able to squelch those pesky Christians (yes, I did write pesky and, yes, that usage is part of my war against Christmas). That is the extent of Kelly's discussion. I would have wanted to present something about how this minority creed managed to eventually challenge the established religious beliefs of the ruling classes throughout the RE. That might have been relevant to a social history of the RE.
And I think the last chapter on the history of scholarly reaction to the RE during the British Empire and the quick tour of the RE through the eyes of Hollywood is in the wrong book. That space could have been better used looking at some of the other social issues of the RE.

In fairness, Kelly does some stuff really really well. His discussion of the demographics of the RE is very interesting. His discussion results in a picture of the RE populace that is summarized on p.109- very few old people, very high number of teenagers, many orphans and a high infant mortality rate. What I found fascinating about this is how different this is from the impression that I get from reading Livy or Plutarch. Those books are full of the deeds and accomplishments of older men who obviously lived far far longer than the average life span.
Kelly's book also contains good discussions of some of the literature that we have that has survived. He gives quick good summaries of some of the major themes of Plutarch, Tacitus and Suetonius. And, as always with the VSI series, there is a good Suggested Readings section.

If I had known what kind of book this was, I probably would have enjoyed it more. If you don't come to this book expecting a political history but instead expect a selective social history you may think more highly of it than I do.
As always, with the VSI series, you can read it in one good sitting. And you can easily carry it around in your back pocket for those odd moments during the day when you want to contemplate, e.g. elite Greek reaction to Roman dominance.

This excellent introduction to the Roman Empire is succinct and selective rather than superficial. Its compass ranges from the iconography of the Imperial cult to contemporary perceptions of Rome in the cinema.

Far from being a conventional, political history centred on the Roman elite, Kelly is most impressive when trying to recreate the ordinary lives of the silent and all but invisible majority, who have left no historical trace and only the faintest of impressions in the archaeological record. He is especially interesting and perceptive when writing about elusive topics like population studies within the Empire. Hard evidence on such matters is, naturally, very scant. Kelly uses statistical models and contemporary demographic studies of the developing world to reach his conclusions, some of which are startling - for example, the life expectancy at birth for emperors who died from natural causes between the 1st and 7th centuries: 26.3 years (no greater, therefore, than the life expectancy of people in much poorer and less privileged social groups).

This slim volume manages to be authoritative, concise and thought-provoking. Anyone wanting to investigate further, meanwhile, can make good use of its extensive bibliography.

Written in a clear, compelling style, the author chronicles the rise of Rome and reflects upon the purposes, achievements, and costs of empire. The generous use of appropriate illustrations, concise summaries of long wars, and poignant profiles engage and inform. Kelly's details the brutal expansion of the empire, highlighting the suppression of dissent and rebellion. The precarious and complex role of conquered elites' role in the Roman Empire seems particularly strong. Likewise, the final chapter (Rome Revisited) surprised and satisfied with brief overviews of how British historians looked at the ancient Roman empire and their own empire. The author also surveys the enduring appeal, for worse and for better, of ancient Roman architecture and some vivid Hollywood movies centered around intense personal struggles.

Despite underplaying the importance of slavery and a too brief discussion of civil wars within ancient Rome, this thin primer remains - by far - the best introduction to ancient Rome that I've seen. This book should find a large audience among history buffs, Latin students, and college students.

This is a brilliant introduction to this topic. It is no way dry or dull to read and gives great insight into Roman life and how they administered their empire. It looks at symbols in Roman architecture and how they are used to increase the legend of the empire and emperor, as well as link into local tradition to prevent dissent. It also looks at local life and households, as well as Christians and their martyrdom in the Colosseum. You can find out what aspects of the empire intrigue you most before going on to the massive range of books out there that are more specific. Simply superb.

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especially the first, and some surprising omissions. One finds little on Rome's view of their barbarian neighbors and their effect on Roman civilization. And Kelly includes nothing on slavery. Perhaps the overplus (for such a short book) of information on Roman houses, inscriptions, and monuments did not allow enough space for consideration of these topics.

This is an exceedingly well written book on many levels.

The writing is quite witty at times and always easy to understand. It covers a lot of stuff that I've studied already but the way the material is written gives me a new and profoundly inciteful perspective.

There is a Chapter entitled: "Christians to the lions" with the first heading called: "Blood on the sand".......This book is a rip-roaring good read!!

There is, in several spots, nods to the great wit of the great Edward Gibbon that are quite fine.

The colors of the cover are beautiful which makes it a good book for one to be seen with. With the right beach ensemble (a well made pink shirt and khaki shorts is something I'm often seen in) one can cut quite a figure sitting in a beach chair with this book.