'no one else in our times has attempted to write a universal history' Polybius' ambitious goal was to describe how Rome conquered the Mediterranean world in less than fifty-three years. This great study of imperialism takes the reader back to Rome's first encounter with Carthage in 264 and forward to her destruction of that renowned city in 146. Polybius, himself a leading Greek politician of the time, emphasizes the importance of practical experience for the writing of po...

No book on Roman history has attempted to do what Stephen Dando-Collins does in Legions of Rome: to provide a complete history of every Imperial Roman legion and what it achieved as a fighting force. The author has spent the last thirty years collecting every scrap of available evidence from numerous sources: stone and bronze inscriptions, coins, papyrus and literary accounts in a remarkable feat of historical detective work.The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 provides a de...

'Suetonius, in holding up a mirror to those Caesars of diverting legend, reflects not only them but ourselves: half-tempted creatures, whose great moral task is to hold in balance the angel and the monster within' GORE VIDALAs private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. The Twelve Caesars...

Assisted by his brother Hasdrubal, Hannibal rose to command the people of Carthage in 221 BC.Drawing on the accounts of Livy and Polybius, Ernle Bradford documents the Punic War between Carthage and Rome. After gaining the support of the Gauls Hannibal made his way over the Alps with 37 elephants and attacked Italy, winning important battles at Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae, where the Roman forces lost over 50,000 men. He was finally defeated in Africa at Zama ...

The complete and definitive history of how Roman generals carved out the greatest and longest-lasting empire the world has ever seen.The Roman army was one of the most effective fighting forces in history. The legions and their commanders carved out an empire which eventually included the greater part of the known world. This was thanks largely to the generals who led the Roman army to victory after victory, and whose strategic and tactical decisions shaped the cou...

It was one of the greatest battles of the ancient world, and one that was to be studied by military strategists for centuries to come.The struggle between the Persian army and the Spartans in the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C was a turning point in the Greco-Persian wars.The ambitious Persian King Xerxes planned to conquer the Greek world by launching simultaneous attacks on Sparta and Athens. Xerxes had assembled one of the largest armies ever thrown in...

A fascinating, comprehensive biography of the cunning Roman conqueror Julius Caesar.More than two thousand years after his death, Julius Caesar remains one of the great figures of history. He shaped Rome for generations, and his name became a synonym for “emperor”—not only in Rome but as far away as Germany and Russia. He is best known as the general who defeated the Gauls and doubled the size of Rome’s territories. But, as Philip Freeman describes in this fascinat...

For nearly four centuries, from AD 43 to 410, Britain was a small province on the north western edge of the vast Roman Empire. Patricia Southerns masterly new history tells the story from first contact, through invasion and conquest, coexistence to eventual decline incorporating the political, social and cultural history of Britannia. For the first time the wealth of voices from the varied population of Roman Britain are placed centre stage in the narrative. Indirectly via the works of anc...

The 14th Gemina Martia Victrix Legion was the most celebrated unit of the early Roman Empire–a force that had been wiped out under Julius Caesar, reformed, and almost wiped out again. After participating in the a.d. 43 invasion of Britain, the 14th Legion achieved its greatest glory when it put down the famous rebellion of the Britons under Boudicca. Numbering less than 10,000 men, the disciplined Roman killing machine defeated 230,000 rampaging rebels, slaughtering 80,000 with only 400 Ro...

A gripping account of the ascent of Rome – from agrarian backwater to capital of the world's greatest empire.'An elegant, swift and faultless introduction to the subject' The SpectatorStarting with the founding myth of Romulus and Remus, Anthony Everitt charts Rome's development from its origins as a small market town in the 8th century BC, through various forms of patrician government, up to Caesar's victory in the Civil War that defeated the Roman...

Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between Athens and Sparta “a possession for all time,” and indeed it is the first and still the most famous work in the Western historical tradition.Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, The Peloponnesian War is a mine of military, moral, political, and philosophical wisdom.However, this classic book has long presented obst...

In "Ancient Rome: From the Earliest Times Down to 476 A.D.,'Äù Robert F. Pennell presents a comprehensive exploration of Roman history, meticulously chronicling its evolution from a nascent civilization to a dominant empire. The book, characterized by its didactic prose and structured chronology, engages the reader through vivid narratives and rigorous historical methodology. Pennell's integration of archaeological findings and primary sources enriches the text, situating it firmly within ...