University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. — 312 p.
In this amazing edition of Ancient Rome, author Paul A. Zoch presents the history and mythology of Rome, from its legendary progenitor Aeneas to the death of the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius in 180 c.e. Zoch guides readers through the military campaigns and political developments that shaped Rome’s rise from a small Italian city to the greatest imperial power the world had ever known, and he includes stories about its protagonists—such as Romulus and Remus, Horatius, and Nero—that are often omitted from more specialized studies.
In Zoch’s retelling, the events and personalities of ancient Rome spring to life. We witness the long struggle against the enemy city of Carthage. We follow Caesar as he campaigns in Britain, and we observe the ebb and flow of Rome’s fortunes in the Hellenistic East.
Emphasizing both the political and moral lessons to be learned from Roman history—and that remain relevant today—Zoch gives readers a narrative that is both entertaining and informative. An afterword takes the history to the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in 476 c.e.
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Preface
Acknowledgments
A Linguistic Introduction
Rome's Origins according to the Ancients
Romulus and Remus Found Rome
Kings after Romulus
Tarquin's Coup d'État and the End of the Monarchy
The Res Publica: "Senatus Populusque Romanus"
Traitors and Heroes of the Early Republic
Class Conflict in Rome
Coriolanus, Cincinnatus, and Camillus
The Gauls Sack Rome
The Wars with the Samnites
King Pyrrhus' Pyrrhic Victories
The First Punic War
The Second Punic War
Rome Encounters the East
The Gracchi: The Beginning of the End of the Res Publica
The War against Jugurtha and the Rise of Marius
The Italian Wars and the Career of Sulla
The Rise of Pompey
The First Triumvirate
Civil War
Renewed Civil War and the Rise of Octavian
The Roman Empire: The Principate
The Julio-Claudian Emperors
The Flavian Emperors
The Culmination of the Pax Romana
Afterword: The Disintegration of the Empire
Bibliography
Index