The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180 (The Routledge History of the Ancient World) [Paperback]

Martin Goodman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415049709 | ISBN-13: 978-0415049702 | Publication Date: August 30, 1997

Examining the Roman world from an unusual and illuminating angle, this volume explores the central period of the Roman empire from Julius Caesar to Marcus Aurelius.

Martin Goodman focuses on the perspective of its peoples and its fringe areas, rather than from the Emperor's household, giving a balanced view of the Roman world in its entirety.
Goodman outlines and discusses the major aspects of Roman rule and culture, as well as the marginal; the city state of Rome, politics, social and civic life, and religion.

The Roman World 44 BC–AD 180 offers a stimulating and provocative addition to the study of the Roman world in this period, which will be of vital interest to anyone concerned with the origins of Western civilization.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin Goodman is positioned at the Oriental Institute, Oxford. He has written numerous books, including The Ruling Class of Judaea (1987), State and Society in Roman Galilee (1983) and contributed to The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (1986).

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (August 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415049709
• ISBN-13: 978-0415049702
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bland Title, Powerful Book, December 2, 2000

By 

Stephen O'Sullivan (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180 (The Routledge History of the Ancient World) (Paperback)

This book is an insightful summary of the Roman empire, and the way it worked. Professor Goodman's analysis of the underlying power structure of the empire and how the subjects persuaded themselves to accept what today we would call a military dictatorship is compelling, and contains insights for our own time. For example, a) just why did the Romans need such a large army anyway ? b) why would anyone want to be a senator, when it's the emperor who calls all the shots ?

If you want to know the answers, but this book.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners, not adequate for an indepth read, June 23, 1999

By 

History Fan (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180 (The Routledge History of the Ancient World) (Paperback)

This book was easy to read and to follow, had a number of helpful illustration and provided an fair amount of information pertaining to the foundation of the Empire and the running of both Rome and the provinces. While this book would be excellent for novices in the field of Roman antiquity, it was not an adequate read for any student of the ancient world. The lives of emperors were summed up in a few pages (usually around 2-5, some as short as 1/2 of a page), the governing of the country was presented in a superficial manner, and the general history was bland and without depth. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn the 'basics' of the Roman Empire, however, more serious scholars should look elsewhere.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180: Review, July 26, 2008

By 

E. Jenkinson (Orange County, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180 (The Routledge History of the Ancient World) (Paperback)

I originally bought this book back in about 2000 or so, and decided this summer to finally read it - wow, am I glad I did. It is as some have commented, a work with many names, and references - but does come with a Notes section at the end, so you can look up all the information as you go along. I think that the book is well written, and gives a nice topographical view of the Roman world from 44BC - the death of J. Caesar to 180AD the advent of Commodus (if you saw Gladiator, you know who he is). It's coverage of the whole Roman Empire, into economical, religious, and society is quite riveting, and well thought out. It is not a difficult book to read, and has short chapters, with headings for each section - this will make it easier for you to read, and follow along.
He uses archaeological, and written sources, and does this quite well. I wholly recommend this book, and think most will find it good to read.