The Roman Republic: Second Edition [Paperback]

Michael Crawford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674779274 | ISBN-13: 978-0674779273 | Publication Date: October 15, 1993 | Edition: 2 Sub

Between the Sack of Rome by the Gauls in 390 BC and the middle of the second century BC, a part-time army of Roman peasants, under the leadership of the ruling oligarchy, conquered first Italy and then the whole of the Mediterranean. The loyalty of these marrauding heroes, and of the Roman population as a whole, to their leaders was assured by a share in the rewards of victory, rewards which became steadily less accessible as the empire expanded - promoting a decline in loyalty of cataclysmic proportions. Wars, rural impoverishments, civil discord and slavery are a few of the subjects covered in this study.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

During the centuries of its history the republic burst its city-state shell... Wars, rural impoverishment, the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few families, civil discord, the increase in number of slaves and robbery of overseas provinces caused irreversible changes... This is the material of Crawford's study. He handles its complexities with acuteness and balance. He is sophisticated about political motives and economic causes... Crawford's readable book is a fine contribution to the understanding of this important period. (Times Higher Education Supplement )

Well-informed, lively.. The work conveys a remarkable quantity of information... Students will benefit greatly from Crawford's obvious enthusiasm for historical research and for finding explanations of complex phenomena. (Journal of Roman Studies )

About the Author

Michael Crawford is Professor of History, University College, London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press; 2 Sub edition (October 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674779274
• ISBN-13: 978-0674779273
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too spartan for a novice, irrelevant for an expert, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Roman Republic: Second Edition (Paperback)

I was extremely disappointed with this book. It might just be useful as a supplemental college text, in a class in which multiple primary materials are read along with additional secondary material and which has a fine professor. Otherwise, its gaps, disjointed organization, and assumptions can be quite irritating for the reader. Don't even bother if you are not acquainted with ancient history. If you are, this book is more likely to leave you frustrated than informed. The author makes an implicit assumption that the reader is familiar with Latin (I am, but he didn't know that), and organizes the material neither chronologically nor thematically but a hybrid of each in which thematic chapters alternate with chronological ones. This would work except that the themes refer partly to the chapter before and partly to the chapter following which I found cumbersome. Major events such as the Punic Wars are handled in a cursory fashion, and little to no attention is paid to the acquisition and government of the provinces. Rome is repeatedly refered to as an oligarchy without once examining what that means. Lastly, the author covers much of the omissions with flat statements about the unreliability of existing sources (e.g. Plutarch) without discussing why, or to what extent. Instead, the reader is treated to the author's unexplained theories, and much rectitude concerning their superiority over others. Avoid this book unless you have literally read eveything else on the subject and still haven't had enough.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Res Publica, October 13, 2003

By 

Michael Taylor "Scipio" (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Roman Republic: Second Edition (Paperback)

Michael Crawford's book is not for the novice. Those unfamiliar with the chronology of the Roman Republic will find his analysis confusing, as Crawford assumes his reader has considerable background in Republican Roman history and culture. For those with a decent hold on the events of the Republic, Crawford's keen analytical text to highly worthwhile. He examines the relationship between members of the Roman oligarchy, discusses the successful consolidation of Italy, examines the conquest of the provinces and its effect on Roman politics, and finally deals with the political destabilization that led to the rise of warlords such as Marius, Pompey, and Caesar. His book is part of an essential bibliography for any Classics major or Roman history buff.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Poor Textbook, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Roman Republic: Second Edition (Paperback)

I read this book for a course in Roman History, and found it more confusing than useful. Crawford assumed too much foreknowledge for the text to serve as a primer, but his analyses might prove more comprehensible to the non-beginner. It would take a fine professor, indeed, to overcome the pitfalls of this text in an introductory class.