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The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world.
It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.
Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence.
Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.
'The Book that really held me, in fact, obsessed me, was Rubicon . . .This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian
'Re-evaluating Rome for a new generation' Robert Harris, Sunday Times
'Marvellously readable' Niall Ferguson
ISBN/EAN | 9780349115634 |
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Author | Tom Holland |
Publisher | Little Brown |
Imprint | Abacus |
Publication date | 20 Apr 2006 |
Format | Paperback |