What are /r/ancientrome's favorite Products & Services?

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How about the <em>Oxford Classical Dictionary</em>, 4th ed. (2012), which is loaded with up-to-date bios of real and mythical figures and long essays on all sorts of features of Greek and Roman culture, pretty good bibliographies? 6,700 entries, abt. 1,600 pages. I use it all the time. I see it's also available online with a subscription.

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143121294/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cxv8DbZAZCZS4

More of an overview of Carthage’s entire history but it has some very interesting theories about the Punic Wars. Particularly the role of religion in shaping the Second Punic War.

Consider how much salt that would take. It would be hard to do that with modern machinery, and salt was immensely valuable back then. It is where we get the term salary.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=salary

TLDR: it never happened.

This author mentions the possibility that it belongs to Maximinus Thrax

https://www.amazon.com/Maximinus-Thrax-Common-Soldier-Emperor/dp/1510708634/ref=sr\_1\_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=maximinus+thrax&amp;qid=1625929755&amp;sr=8-1

Also, if you want to learn more about HOW the average Roman lived, Mary Beards book SPQR is a great look at the average life of Romans. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1631492225/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_2QY8V0QYE84G9X7KNPH6

She also has a video series based on this book. It is called Meet the Romans. Here it is in youtube in different parts: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=meet+the+romans

Here: Amazon link to the 3.99 price.

Also, you're just getting into the real good part of the podcast. I feel like Mike gets a lot better as he gets into the War with Hannibal. So only about 2 years of listening left and then you can catch up on Revolutions, which is also really good.

My favorite book on the Republic is "Rubicon" by Tom Holland. Covers from about marius to octavian, but is very in depth. Just in case anyone was looking for more good books on the time period. I love Asimov though so I'm going to keep an eye out for this.

$99 off Amazon is a little high though. Relevant: Worldcat search for library locations near you.

You should check out Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. He talks a lot about his own views of death and the purpose of life as well as people with beliefs that differed from his own(such as the Epicureans, for example).

ETA: Here's an example I like from the book:

"And in all things awaiting death, with a mind that is satisfied, counting it nothing else than a release of the elements from which each living thing is composed. Now if there is no hurt to the elements themselves in their ceaseless changing each into other, why should man apprehend anxiously the change and dissolution of them all?"

Spoiler alert: A lot of his statements on death are along the lines of "Be brave, there is nothing to fear, live your life in an excellent way and that is what you should concern yourself with." But he manages to state this over and over again in differing and beautiful ways without seeming repetitive. I do hope you'll check it out.

Not strictly Roman but I watched a good documentary last night on the BBC about the history of Sicily. There's a section on Ancient Greek winemaking.

If you can view iplayer...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08cwrg9/sicily-the-wonder-of-the-mediterranean-series-1-episode-1

From 9:30 to 16:30

I think the Column of Marcus Aurelius will give you the best idea of his attire specifically. The primary sources wouldn't reveal much on attire. Marcus Aurelius appears on the column several times and in a number of symbolic poses, each may have an impact on the attire based on context (religious vs battle).

This book will likely be very difficult to come across, and will you have to get access to either a major university's or art museum's library to look at it, but it is your best bet for seeing in good quality the scenes of the whole column (so you may see the variety of attires that Marcus Aurelius wore on the campaign). The column of Marcus Aurelius / Filippo Coarelli http://www.worldcat.org/title/colonna-di-marco-aurelio-the-column-of-marcus-aurelius/oclc/232124221&amp;referer=brief_results

Something a little more accessible and has several images from the column with Marcus Aurelius in them (but much smaller images) is The Column of Marcus Aurelius The Genesis and Meaning of a Roman Imperial Monument by Martin Beckmann.

Hope this helps answer your question

Something like this you mean?

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Eternity-Technology-Concrete-Engineering/dp/1782974202

Off topic but if you enjoyed Rome, you might enjoy Colleen McCullough’s 7 book Masters of Rome series on Rome from Gaius Marius thru the rise of Augustus https://www.amazon.com/First-Man-Rome-Masters/dp/0061582417

I was at a wine tasting in Tuscany last year and the tour guide, a very knowledgeable classical history major and native of Rome, and I mentioned how much I enjoyed this series and he started talking about how much he loved the series. She really did a great job of wrapping great stories around the extent historical record.

I’d buy a reference book on the Roman world. Or find a good website to bookmark. Then you can look up specific things if you need to as you go along.

Maybe something like this - https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Atlas-Roman-World/dp/1547852577/ref=nodl_

I’ve always found it’s more important to understand the relationships between things than memorizing a bunch of stuff. Like Caesar is was Augustus’ uncle and adopted father. Not that Caesar became consul in whatever year. You can always just Google facts.

Seriously, if you're into this kind of stuff enough that you're actually grooving on this post, let me lay three words on you:

Barrington Historical Atlas

This book is literally on the short list of objects that I might want my heirs to include in the casket when they bury me.

So with Roman Garum specifically, I recommend the works of Sally Grainger.

https://www.amazon.com/Story-Garum-Preserved-Sauces-Ancient/dp/1138284076

I’d also been working off her particular translation of Aupicius.

But also, I’ve got the whole process around here.

Edit: I forget sometimes that not everyone wants university levels of research lmao

Is it important to you that it is by the Romans themselves? Or is something like the Cambridge Ancient History be more what you are looking for? (Not cheap by any means, but many libraries should have it (http://www.worldcat.org/title/cambridge-ancient-history)

edit: volumes 7-14 deal with what you are looking for.

For those interested, this article seems to have a nearly complete bibliography on the question - though that bibliography is astoundingly short: https://www.academia.edu/3726105/_with_dr._L.E._Tacoma_Contextualising_condemnation_to_hard_labour_in_the_Roman_empire

Neither of these are specifically Roman, but google art project is a fantastic resource for examining museum collections in detail, whilst the internet archive has a huge range of books (generally published pre-1970's), including good translations of ancient and modern classical authors. http://www.googleartproject.com/en-gb/ http://archive.org/

Was a Christmas present but I Found it on Amazon

He wrote a very interesting book.

https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Lost-Roman-Legions-Discovering-ebook/dp/B004E9UB7A/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&amp;keywords=In+quest+of+the+lost+legions&amp;qid=1622138653&amp;sr=8-2

There are many excellent titles. One of the classic ones is the "History of Byzantine Commonwealth" by Ostrogorsky. https://www.amazon.com/Byzantine-Commonwealth-Eastern-Europe-500-1453/dp/1597407356/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=history+of+byzantine+commonwealth&amp;qid=1621987127&amp;sr=8-1

Well here’s the thing: it’s only $30ish, but you only get like 3-4 ounces of it.

https://www.amazon.com/Matiz-Flor-Garum-Premium-Spanish/dp/B07CRMQZP5

Granted, it is fantastic quality, but this is why I’m making my own as a labor of love. If you like, I could make another post with my annotated recipe if you wanna try and make some yourself as well after I get home from work later.

I put it in my other comment but the below book is really good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0415015960/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hRXeFb46WJF9V

The detail on the Gallic sack is really good & pretty unquestionable. For example the Roman sources tell that the Gallic invaders then signed up as mercenaries under the pay of Syracuse & launched a land attack of Clusium whilst Syracuse launched a naval attack shortly after the sack of Rome.

Now objectively thinking a combined land & naval battle isn't a spur of the moment decision & now with that in mind the motives of Brennus become clear. He was very likely leading an elite mercenary force as part of a long agreement to attack Clusium on a certain day. His forces needed to cross the Tiber & with Rome & Clusium being strong allies decided to use the crossing at Rome & knock them out at the same time. Two birds one stone.

Roman forces seem to know this, we hear of the army fleeing but they fall back pretty intact to Veii which might suggest more a strategic retreat which probably means a degree of evacuation took place.

Brennus was on the clock & so mainly interested in gold & moveable loot. If we re-examine Roman sources they talk of treasure being lost more than damage to the city.

We know the following year Rome was able to field 2 or 4 armies, I can't remember how much without looking it up but they bounced back quick. It was a mark of surprise that fed into a miracle myth but with the more reasonable narrative presented in this book it actually is pretty explainable.

Hi, we would like to let you know that our Android version is live now

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.magicapps.timetravelrome

If you are interested, you could also use introductory apps like Beginner Latin and Beginner Latin 2 to easily start learning some of the common Latin words and phrases on your own from scratch.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shex.beginnerlatin

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shex.beginnerlatin2

Here's some that I've read that I really enjoyed although not a comprehensive list by any means of recommendable books (NOTE: Not all of the primary sources can be considered unbiased or academic in scope):

Roman Britain by T.W. Potter and Catherine Johns, The Provinces of the Roman Empire by Theodor Mommsen, The Roman World: A Sourcebook edited by David Cherry, Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome by J.P.V.D. Balsdon, The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Rome by Jon Lewis, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, Looking at Laughter: Humor, Power & Transgression in Roman Visual Culture 100 BC-AD 250 by John Clarke, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland, Slavery in the Roman World by Sandra Joshel, A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome by Alberto Angela

Primary Sources: The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus, Agricola and Germany by Tacitus, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius, Saturnalia Convivia, III.13: The Bill of Fare of a Great Roman Banquet by Macrobius, The Satyricon by Petronius Arbiter, De Re Coquinaria by Apicius, The Institutions of Roman Religion by Plutarch, Roman Religious Toleration: The Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus by Livy, The Satires of Juvenal, The Histories by Polybius

I hope any of these may be helpful to you!

I'm a little late. Here are the free ones I have on my kindle. Not all are classics. I recommend all of it:
Notes From the Underground, by Dostoyevski
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde
A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens
Metamorphosis, Kafka
Notebook of Anton Chekhov
The Wife and other stories, Chekhov
The Lady with the Dog and other stories, Chekhov
Ulysses, Joyce
Walden, Thoreau
The Variable Man, Phillip K. Dick
The Crystal Crypt, Dick
The Hanging Stranger, Dick
The Skull, Dick
Wild Bill's Last Trail, Buntline (biography of Wild Bill Hickock)
Flatland: A romance of many dimensions, Abbott
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin
The Canterbury Tales and other poems, Chaucer
The Letters of Cicero, Volume 1, Cicero
Meditations, Aurelius
Cicero Ancient Classics for English Readers, Collins
Beosulf, (translated by) Morris
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Pepys
Sailing Alone Around the World, Joshua Slocum (I give this 11 out of 10)
The Wars of the Jews, etc., by Josephus
What I saw in California, Bryant
Two Years Before the Mast, Dana
Death Valley in '49, by Manly (I give this 12 out of 10)
The Life of Hon. William F. Cody, autobiography of Buffalo Bill
The Works of Edgar Allen Poe, Vol. 1-5, Poe
The Art of War, Sun-tzu
War and Peace, Tolstoy

Not sure what country you're in, but you can get them on Amazon for about $130 USD.

There's a great book that has layouts and reconstructions of the buildings in the forum and that's what we used to plan out the forum, it was a bit pricey but was definitely worth it.

I guess you're right. It's just, it's not like I'm going to be speaking Latin and a day to day basis. So I thought reading a book would help me memorise it and also make sure that even when I'm not in class I could still be reading and engaging in "Latin activities".

EDIT1: Is this what you're referring to?

EDIT2: Do you know of any online Latin courses? Perhaps better than the one I plan on taking. That is still kind of cheap, like less than $400?

I did my master’s thesis on syncretism in the Rhine Legions in the 1st Century AD, but I was inspired to do so by this book: https://www.amazon.com/69-D-Year-Four-Emperors/dp/0195315898

Vitellius’ Legions absolutely scandalized Roman society with their plaid pants and other Germanic ways, which included carrying the Hasta rather than just Pilum ( society was more scandalized by the pants)

At the Gates of Rome: The Fall of the Eternal City, AD 410: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1472849981/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Its a bit specific to the very end of the 4th cent. and early 5th cent., but it was a very pivotal point and you really get a feel for how things weren't going to get better.

https://www.amazon.com/Apicius-Introduction-Translation-Christopher-published/dp/B00EKYEBCA

De re Coqinaria/Apicius. I wanted this particular translation, but there are significantly cheaper a versions available out there.

There is a fairly recent book on this collection. The collection is in private hands, and is never shown, which is either criminal, or possibly genius. https://www.amazon.com/Torlonia-Marbles-Collecting-Masterpieces/dp/8892820877/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28INGHQJ5XPIA&amp;keywords=torlonia+marbles&amp;qid=1660583811&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=torlonia+marbles%2Caps%2C1600&amp;sr=1-1

well, everything he say in the video can be found on his book "Rome Day One" here the link for amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Rome-Day-One-Andrea-Carandini/dp/0691139229/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658734102&amp;refinements=p_27%3AAndrea+Carandini&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-2

I would recommend both of these:

This one is the minority view of Caesar as the good guy:

The Assassination Of Julius Caesar: A People's History Of Ancient Rome

And this one is focused on one legion and almost reads like historical fiction, more enjoyable than your average history book:

Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome

Looks like it is a replica branded as "Julius Caesar Gladius"

It's for sale on Amazon here https://www.amazon.com/Gladius-Roman-Gladiator-Julius-Caesar/dp/B000SLTYUS

Yours has a gold/bronze leaf on the image on the top of the handle/guard but otherwise looks identical

You cannot fairly judge a man from ~2000 years ago with today’s morality. Conquest and sale into slavery was simply the way things were done and not an indication of his sociopathy. Pompeii killed and sold into slavery huge amounts in his conquests, he didn’t get the moniker of “Magnus” by spreading peace through Pontus and Asia Minor. The Gallic tribes slaughtered and enslaved each other as well and so did the Germans. Caesar’s contemporaries rarely accused him of brutality, instead it was his clemency that became famous and that included his treatment of many of the Gallic tribes. Hence the saying “Sulla killed too many, Caesar killed too few, Augustus killed just the right number.”

Also, it was Rome’s and Caesar’s Gallic allies that initially asked for his help in Gaul. The resulting war(s) were an eventuality with numerous feuding tribes and invading Germans; the future of Gaul without JC’s conquest would have led to decades more of smaller wars, Germanic incursions and perhaps even yet another invasion of Italy. Lastly it’s worth nothing that after his conquest of Gaul, the area saw peace for hundreds of years, grew in wealth and civilization and became central to the future development of Europe.

IMO Caesar deserves the positive comments here, while definitely flawed, his brilliance, valor, impact on History and love for his country all make him one of the most remarkable men in history. I highly suggest you read this book, it’s part of The Peoples History series and presents the minority view of Caesar very well:

Michael Parenti / Assassination of Julius Caesar People's History

https://www.amazon.com/AnNafi-Gladiator-Centurian-Medieval-Footwear/dp/B07WJ8M1HS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=7J85MMWB0Q8L&amp;keywords=caligae+sandals+men&amp;qid=1655838498&amp;sprefix=caligae+sandals%2Caps%2C122&amp;sr=8-3

I suggest you this one:

https://www.amazon.it/Reach-Rome-Journey-Through-Following/dp/0847841286

One of the greatest expert about Ancient Rome in Italy and perhaps in the world.

It makes you really revive the life inside the ancient Roman Empire and its provinces.

These could be fun:
A graphic novel, in Latin, about Caesar's Gallic Wars
Caesaris Bellum Helveticum: Scriptores Antiqui Romani Imaginibus Ornati

Perhaps a little way- out-there: the film Satyricon by Fellini

Would this work?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TIMco-GST40B-Galvanized-Square-Twist/dp/B00LFAFFC2/ref=sr\_1\_2?crid=1D20DW8C0W9UI&amp;keywords=Steel+Square+Common+Rose+Head+nails&amp;qid=1648748278&amp;sprefix=steel+square+common+rose+head+nails%2Caps%2C71&amp;sr=8-2

Yeah, it's a big ask, I know :)) Thanks for the suggestion!!!

'I know Norwich is sometimes wrong (but aren't all books, in the eyes of some others?). I think I'll take my chances though, I don't think there are too many mistakes (relative to other books). Especially because I supplement with the History of Byzantium podcast and videos from Thersites the Historian.

I actually read that Herrin made really big mistakes in her book (though not mistakes directly related to Byzantine). For example, she wrote that the last emperor was Honorius, I believe (I can't remember exactly, it was in an Amazon review). Also, her book is 3+ times as short as Norwich's series.
You can read some reviews of hers here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0713999977/ref=dbs\_a\_def\_rwt\_hsch\_vapi\_taft\_p1\_i1

Walter Scheidel wrote an incredibly dense book about this very topic: Escape from Rome

His central thesis is that the destruction of the Roman Empire and the erection and continuation of competing political polities was the essential ingredient for Western scientific, industrial and economic differentiation.

I just finished it. It's thicc.

Just of the top of the head:

1) Mary Boatwright's "The Romans", a common college text.

2) Theodor Mommsen - pick an abridged edition, don't read it first. Over 100 years old, but still standard reading.

3) The Great Courses have several lecture series available, might be available in a public library, otherwise they have frequent sales. All are very watchable, well presented. All are also a bit on the '101' course level side, with some exceptions. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/

4) Gore Vidal's 'Julian', while fiction, is a wonderful depiction of 4th century Rome

5) For lighter reading, anything by Matyszak or Goldsworthy. Possibly Mary Beard, idk.

5) Youtube has infinite documentaries on Rome. 'I, Caesar' (1997) is a nice one; another is 'Rome - Rise & Fall of an Empire' (2008) [History Channel] is another.

6) Others have had good suggestions as well - Penguin Classics and Oxford World's Classics both have fine translations of histories, literature, etc. Cato in particular is readable and has advice that is still good 2,000 years later for one's daily life.

7) I,Claudius is great, as is the harder to find 'The Caesars' (1968), and Rome (2005) is required viewing.

Databases of Pliny, Livy, and Tacitus' speeches are scattered and hard to find, any reliable sources? I did find this with a lot from Cicero, including Pro Caelio as someone mentioned earlier, along with one by Quintilian, some by Crispus, and one work by Tacitus.

There was not a war between Rome and Greece. There was a series of distinct wars against some states. The main antagonist of Rome was Macedonia. There were three wars against Macedonia over a period of 50 years before this small state ended up being a Roman province. During these wars, the Aetolian League sided with Rome; when it found out that their "allies" were mostly their masters, they tried to show some spine but this was soon erased. Beyond Macedonia, there were no real wars. The Attalids turned over their state to Rome and very much the same happened with Seleukids. In fact, in Asia Minor, the main antagonist of the Romans was Mitrhidates' Pontus (a Persian kingdom). In fact, in Asia, the Greeks welcomed the Romans as a counterweight to interior and exterior threats and joined the Roman armies.

I recommend the following books.

(a)Erick Gruen: The Hellenistic world and the coming of Rome. https://www.amazon.com/Hellenistic-World-Coming-Rome/dp/0520057376/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=18XSY6SLPMKAH&amp;keywords=The+Hellenistic+world+and+the+coming+of+Rome&amp;qid=1640217373&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=the+hellenistic+world+and+the+coming+of+rome%2C...

(b) P*eter Green: From Alexander to Actium. The historical evolution of the Hellenistic Age:* https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Actium-Historical-Evolution-Hellenistic/dp/0520083490

Arthur M. Eckstein, Rome Enters the Greek East: From Anarchy to Hierarchy in the Hellenistic Mediterranean, 230-170 BC (2012). Amazon

If you want to see more of these illustrations, buy this.

I got mine a year ago and its been a treasure. I actually hope to pass it down one day.

Unfortunately this is a subject that has not been really studied apon by the Academia, so it is vary rare to find any analysis to even bother to describe the Roman State after the Augustan Reformations as a Republic, and even more during the "Byzantine Period". In fact, it was essentially an Imperial Republic, in the truest sense of the word (with an Emperor being a representative of the Republic, just like the important full-powered envoys of the Athenian Republic were temporarily). While the power fluctuated between the Emperor and the Senate, effectivelly ruling as a Diarchy, this system never ceased to exist, until at least with the failure of the Roman Emperorship in 1453 AD, when after the heroic self-sacrifice of the last Roman Emperor, the free Romans in the Morea did not elect and appoint a new one, and the Roman State had been once more effectivelly a Republic. That despite the common misconception that the Medieval Roman Empire was instead a monarchical autocratic theocracy, which is just a result of the biases of older historians of the 20th century and before.

For a quick overview and description of the subject, there is "The Byzantine Republic: People and Power in New Rome", by Anthony Kaldellis, though in my view he does not really delve deeply in the subject. You can also read this article on the capitals of the Roman State, "Mapping the capitals of the Roman Empire

Not a book but You might like Pigliucci's. "Stoic Meditations" podcast. Pigliucci is a philosopher.

https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xZDgwMzI4L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz

He also wrote a book called "How to be a Stoic"

1. Many of the greatest Roman legions were composed of men from all over the Empire. Caesar's great 10th Legion that conquered Gaul and Pompey were created in Spain.

2. The ancient Republic that our founding fathers imitated was the Roman republic. Our Senate was based on the Roman Senate, for example. More similarities and differences between the Roman republic and U S government.

Craziest thing I found was a Huawei cellphone cover of a Renaissance Flemish painting of Tarquinius raping Lucretia

You can download the "open source" e-books of what is considered to be the best and most comprehensive guide on the Roman empire:

HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE Edward Gibbon, Esq.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25717/25717-h/25717-h.htm

I have the hard covers and it is a three volume set with full annotations/references.

seeing as you and I are both big Raven fans. infact all of the corvids are very fascinating.

https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/viking-history-rolf-krake-2

I think you just need to look for the right term, "sourcebook" is usually used to denote a book comprised of source material. Such as:

I am not sure how much of any book is letters & how much is Roman historians or annalists documenting events mind.

Roman Imperial Texts: A Sourcebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FW7XAJY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_93D7GZ0KG3JRS52ZQKPX

I actually have that book. This is the one here:

https://www.amazon.com/Destruction-Ancient-Rome-History-Monuments-ebook/dp/B00LZSOW5U/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=2M86TG78JPRVW&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=destruction+of+ancient+rome+lanciani&amp;qid=1635434172&amp;sprefix=destruction+of+ancient+rome+lancian...

Yes, one Italian archaeologist wrote a book about it in the early 1900s. Amazon has it here:

https://www.amazon.com/Destruction-Ancient-Rome-History-Monuments-ebook/dp/B00LZSOW5U/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2M86TG78JPRVW&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=destruction+of+ancient+rome+lanciani&amp;qid=1635434172&amp;sprefix=destruction+of+ancient+rome+lanciani%2Caps%2C100&amp;sr=8-1

It's the only work of that nature I've ever come across.

Highly recommend buying this Atlas. I've adored pouring over images like this.

You can get it on amazon here.

The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c.1000–264 BC) (The Routledge History of the Ancient World) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0415015960/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_201P41Z8XSX70XXQA6HR

The definitive modern works on the Early Years of Rome. Each chapter is preceded by a summary of the sources & their limitations as well as the historiography. This is history done right & takes you through the latest findings & theories like: - how the sack by the Gauls actually wasn't that bad for the Romans. - how the last kings of Rome were probably popular dictators like in Greece at the time. - how the clash of the orders wasn't quite the non violent strike the ancient sources paint it as. - why the expulsion of the kings looks like a military & noble alliance against the popular dictators.

And much more.

>Napoleon was not patronized by Robespierre

Yes he was, the committee of public safety gave him direct control over coastal military as part of patronage from Robespierre. This was in part because of his skill but mainly due to his writings. Upon Robespierre's fall Napoleon was arrested & held for two weeks before being released after serious questioning. Napoleon in his early days was a Jacobin.

He did support the directorate but support for one doesn't mean he didn't support the other.

Source if you want it:

Napoleon the Great by Andrew Roberts (2-Apr-2015) Paperback https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011T72ZYQ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_B76WGQYM9F9S9XRSZ3J2

A brilliant biography of the man.

Waterloo was a decisive battle of course it was but for character building, personal drama it's the least interesting part of Napoleon's career.

Ive read the "Roman Revolution" by Ronald Syme.

https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Revolution-Ronald-Syme/dp/0192803204

Im not from the US and I bought the book from eBay Philippines last summer. I enjoyed reading it and its a great intro to the final days of the Roman Republic and the rise of Augustus

I don't have the books/articles that detail it in full but the details were summarised by a professor on this BBC history podcast. Usually it's a bit of a frothy pop history podcast with basic facts but they actually went into a bit of detail here. I think the doctor references a book she's written on the topic, sorry don't have the time to re-listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07n8nrg

That covers the argument on Tacitus and his invention of fact.

The detail on why it actually started is in here. I was being deliberately vague, Mattingley actually goes into a fair bit of detail on the tribes relationship with Rome or at least what we know of it. He also rejects Tacitus's story.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0140148221/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_3ZBJ0ME91ZY04KE9GX4W

So much of the history of events like this are still told based on Victorian summaries & omit the current findings.

Depends which way you want to go:

This book, from a broader philosophical concept

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus:_A_Summing_Up

Or for straight history try:

JANUS IN ROMAN LIFE AND CULT Bessie Rebecca Burchett

https://www.amazon.com.au/Janus-Roman-Bessie-Rebecca-Burchett/dp/1144964954

So I just checked the store for Livy, and I can't figure out which exactly would be his History of Rome.

This seems to be Early Rome

And in the recommended I gazed at a collection of 3. Would the 3 books total be his work of Rome?

However, I have found this, which seems to be a third party of sorts giving his entire work. Some of the reviews however make me doubt it.

Should I buy the 3 piece Penguin collection? I will be reading on Kindle, so I'm unsure if the negative reviews for Bybliotech may not appear. And if I go with the penguin trilogy, is that his entire work?

&gt; I just want to understand Rome man.

There is problem here. Learning the key events of Roman history can be relatively easy. Summary textbooks, some heavily illustrated are available in every bookstore and in the Internet. "Understanding Rome" is whole different kettle of fish. Knowing the events and understanding are two clearly distinct things. How do you "understand" the thought world of an ancient Roman? It is a very difficult thing to do. Their whole approach was substantially different to the ancient Greek one and miles away of anything modern. Therefore, understanding requires a very different kind of study.

If books are hard to get into but necessary, you may actually enjoy Rodgers "Ancient Rome, an illustrated history" https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Illustrated-Nigel-Rodgers/dp/0754834204. You will get the basics there.

I listened to an audiobook, I believe it is the Ghosts of Cannae:

https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Cannae-Hannibal-Darkest-Republic/dp/0812978676/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=ghosts+of+cannae&amp;qid=1619313880&amp;sr=8-1

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The author spent a whole chapter on how it would be possible to kill that many men in a few hours. Overall I liked the book, it actually covers the entire 2nd Punic war in some detail. You might check it out, especially if you can borrow a copy for free from the library to just check out that one chapter. As I recall (I listened to it years ago), part of the discussion was psychological, how people can simply become passive when all hope is lost. So the theory is that maybe the Romans simply stopped fighting.

The Roman Conquest of Spain 218-178 BC might be of interest for you.

As for general histories, SPQR by Mary Beard is quite popular. I personally enjoy reading the classic histories/works written by Livy, Tacitus, Polybius, Plutarch, Caesar, Suetonius, Sallust, Marcellinus, Cassius Dio... They all have flaws and bias/agenda (IMO no more so than modern authors but it is just more apparent as they usually aren't pretending otherwise), but they generally get the broad strokes right and they are a window into how the Romans viewed themselves and their history.

Nice! .... this is a very interesting book about a metal detectorist searching for the site.

https://www.amazon.com/quest-lost-legions-Major-CLUNN/dp/0754110680/ref=sr_1_2?crid=AT5V1SWZOAZM&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=tony+clunn&amp;qid=1617740834&amp;sprefix=Tony+clun%2Caps%2C265&amp;sr=8-2

In Spain we have the "Africanus's saga". Its an Historical Novel type that for sure would be more easily to read than a full biografy. It may be on your language aswell

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Santiago-Posteguillo/dp/8413142377/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=africanus&amp;qid=1615276816&amp;sr=8-1

Just try [Naam Plaa]*(https://www.amazon.com/Squid-Brand-Sauce-25-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B001FB6BU6) - you won't like it, it's not meant to be consumed neat (just like garum), but it adds incredible flavour dimensions to almost any cooked meal. In short, just as garum was it's a condiment.

Here's the book you need: https://www.amazon.com/Animals-Ancient-World-Kenneth-Kitchell/dp/1138243124/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=kitchell+animals&amp;qid=1596909964&amp;sr=8-1

I would recommend Tim Cornell's The Beginnings of Rome.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0415015960/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-GWeFbZ8FS1QB

He is very thorough with both piecing together the evidence we do have & highlighting issues with current & proposed narratives including the theories he poses.

He notes how the last two Kings of Rome Servius Tullius & Tarquinius Superbus had a very different description of their rule. The sources stress their popular support above other things & Servius Tullius even seemed to be spreading rumours that he was the proginy of the God Vulcan. Cornell notes how similar this is to the tyrants that were rising all over Greece at this same time. There's no doubt the Romans were a key part of the Greek trading network and knew of Greek political developments. His proposed theory therefore is that these last two Kings were actually popular Tyrants. Men who got their throne through support of the masses of people & not the leading families. That they spent their reigns pushing through popular policy embracing political mobs to force through policies that weakened the patrician families. And then of course at some point Tarquin makes a mistake that the patricians use to leverage his overthrow. Probably he destroys his relationship with the army as the Republic settlement has a distinct military feel to it.

We know the overthrow of Tarquin is much more violent than the Roman historians liked to tell. There is a violent burnt layer beneath the former royal palace section of the city that people used to think was a result of the "Gallic sack" but has been re-dated to the fall of the monarchy.

I can’t speak for the difference. However I did attempt to read an older version of it years back and didn’t get very far because of the translation. So recently I looked around for a more modern version with good reviews for readability - and got this large format illustrated version below. It is expensive but some decent prices used on Amazon. It’s worth it even at full price and is a great book.

It’s not just the Gallic War, as it includes the Gallic War, Civil War, Alexandrian War, African War, and Spanish War.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Landmark-Julius-Caesar-Complete-Alexandrian/dp/0307455440/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35NTPO0843ELZ&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=landmark+caesar&amp;qid=1587077052&amp;sprefix=Landmark+c%2Caps%2C164&amp;sr=8-1

It leans more towards the 5th and 6th Centuries, but I highly enjoyed Viktoria Ukolova's <em>The Last of the Romans and European Culture</em>. Interesting portraits of the likes of Flavius Cassiodorus, Boethius, Augustine, et al—those whom, in Ukolova's assessment, were the vital constituent links in the transference of the foundations of Ancient Culture into the era that arose from the post-Imperial evolution...

You may like Citizen of Rome - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.rangergo.rome, it is a family/Dynasty life sim set in the Roman Republic.

You get to see how life was in the Ancient Republic, participate in their various customs, festivals and Ludi / sporting competitions, while raising a family and moving up in the social and economic hierarchy in the Republic.

You can educate your children, marry them off, sponsor their elections and much more. You'll usually play as the eldest of your sons once your character dies.

The game is open-ended without a set endgame just like in real life, but a grand goal for any ambitious Roman family was to land a Consulship of the republic. This could be your goal in the game as well, climbing the Cursus Honorum and becoming a "New Man" - "Novous Homo"

It is also coming soon to Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1063790/Citizen_of_Rome__Dynasty_Ascendant/

I am its lead developer, please feel free to ask me anything

I recommend Eagles of the Empire by Simon Scarrow, A historical military fiction series. It currently has 16 books. Here's a link to the first book, Under the Eagle.
Under the Eagle

We just released Android version. Happy to announce it

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.magicapps.timetravelrome

Hi I just want to let you know that our Android version of Time Travel Time is live now. Here is the link if you want to download it. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.magicapps.timetravelrome

We just want to let you know that our Android version is live now https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.magicapps.timetravelrome

I highly recommend downloading audible and using your free credit to download the great courses “classical archaeology of ancient greece and rome” its an excellent audio version of a university lecture. Its 18 hours 40 min long.

Edit: a link so you can find it easier. It’s free with your audible trial, if you already have an audible subscription then it costs 1 credit. Or you can buy it outright.

https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Archaeology-Ancient-Greece-Rome/dp/B00DTNWBG6

I highly recommend this, it’s what really kicked off my interest in Ancient Rome.

Adrian Goldsworthy, as already mentioned, has a number of good books. For a general overview start with his The Roman Army At War: 100 BC to AD 200 and In the Name of Rome.

Here are some other good starting points- some are older works, but still are a good entry point:

*The Imperial Roman Army- Yann Le Bohec

*The Roman Legions- H.M.D. Parker

*The Roman Art of War Under the Republic- F.E. Adcock

*The Art of War in the Western World- Archer Jones

*De Re Militari- Vegetius

A bit of a more cautious recommendation- Osprey books have a ton of Roman titles, and due to their size, they offer a very concise look at a specific topic of Roman Military history. Some of them are very good, some less so. You might see if your local library has some copies of the various titles in order to get a feel for the breadth of the topic.

Those should give you a nice starting point. Then you can focus more on particular periods and aspects that pique your interest, ie the fall of republic, the Roman Navy, the later imperial armies, etc... There is a lot of material out there!

In terms of equipment distribution amongst the legion, it's both realistic and historically accurate. Foraging off the enemy is a no-brainer for most armies even to this day. Sun Tzu made a huge point out of it in The Art of War. Ancient Romans weren't uniformly outfitted even after the Marian reform. Quoting the person who sold me a good amount of my historical clothes and armor, the only thing uniform among soldiers were the shields with each legion having a different design on them.

Fallout Legionnaires used armor taken from their enemies, SPQR equipment had inspirations from foreign warriors and I wouldn't be surprised if they took advantage of all the dank cataphract suits Gallic helmets from all the dead dudes lying around after each battle.

I think you are looking for his 14, 15 and 16th orations. These deal with the Goths at any rate and they are available in this book.

I'd recommend The Moral and Political Tradition of Rome, https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801401100/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_AL3fpYyq4wIwL This work goes into great detail about what Roman politics revolved around and the political system

This is one of my favorite books on Roman history, and it focuses closely on the relationship of the Empire and the Germanic tribes on its borders. It's written in an engrossing narrative style and is very easy to read.

"The Fall of the Roman Empire" by Peter Heather.

https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Roman-Empire-History-Barbarians/dp/0195325419/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

If you're enjoying SPQR, I highly highly recommend Mary Beard's Fires of Vesuvius. It's my favorite book on the Romans.

I also really like Caesar by Goldsworthy, along with everyone else here, apparently.

"Best" to me is most enjoyably readable and for Caesar's Gallic War that would be this translation. If you want "most accurate" you need to know latin. (Because every translator has to make significant judgment calls when translating latin to english. And every single one is different for that reason--and "better", therefore, is pretty much a subjective call. But here is an evaluation of available translations fwiw)

I just bought this book and am greatly enjoying it so far but I will say, just in case it's an issue, it's basically a textbook.

I think Mackay does quite a good job at summing up the entire history of Rome in a fairly short period of time and making it readable for people who know nothing about the subject. It's fast paced, but gives you enough information for you to branch off on your own if you find an area you want to know more about. https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Military-Political-History/dp/0521711495

He's also one hell of an interesting guy if you ever get the chance to talk with him. His rants about modern academia are pretty great

You could try Cliff Ando's Imperial Rome AD 193 to 284: The Critical Century, or David Potter's The Roman Empire at Bay, AD 180–395

https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Pagans-Origins-Medieval-Christianity/dp/B00DTO58QU Get an audible membership for the credit, this covers it pretty extensively. The videos are expensive, but you can pirate them if you want.

https://www.amazon.com/Classics-Short-Introduction-Mary-Beard/dp/0192853856 there's a whole series of these short introduction books. They pack a lot of information in them and that should help you figure out what you're interested in and where to go from there!

If you're interested in Stoicism, try /r/Stoicism. Check out the sidebar for recommendations on translation choices. I like the Oxford Classics version for the notes and correspondence, but the Hays Translation is the easiest I've read.

Mackay is an odd fellah, but this work is an interesting (albeit concise) overview of Rome. It helps to connect the dots between major events mostly but that's really where it helps to start, you can then start to go into the smaller intricate parts between the major events. https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Military-Political-History/dp/0521711495

I enjoyed SPQR. A big overview of ancient Roman history/society in her typical style of addressing issues of how/why we know what we know, and separating fact from conjecture from myth. Unlike Tom Holland (and others), she's not interested in describing "the best" story, but trying to get at the truth.

If you want to read something by her that's a lot shorter (and a bit more lively), try her book on Pompeii. I've read most of her books and that is my favorite.

I have this book. It's pretty good!

Here's a book that collects some Roman recipes: http://www.amazon.com/Roman-Cookery-Ancient-Recipes-Kitchens/dp/1897959605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1446772328&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=mark+grant+roman+cookery

One thing that surprised me is that they fried pasta instead of boiling it (apparently this was common through the middle ages).

I just bought one of these. It's not usable, but it looks awesome, and very, very Roman. Apparently it was made by an artist in the 1920s.

I also have this on my wall. Very helpful.

Try this book.

Bought this book a while ago but have yet to read it much, as I am currently more interested in a few other books I have right now.

http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Business-Markets-Columbia-Publishing/dp/0231153260