Book reviews and reading lists from the ancient world to the modern era
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Rome Resurgent by Peter Heather: Imperial Strategy and Military Power in the Sixth-Century Mediterranean
Peter Heather examines the wars and political calculations of Emperor Justinian’s reign, focusing on the campaigns that sought to restore Roman control in the western Mediterranean. He situates these conflicts within wider strategic pressures, arguing that Justinian’s expansion was part of a coherent imperial response rather than reckless ambition.
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Augustus by Adrian Goldsworthy: Power, Pragmatism, and the Making of the Roman Principate
Adrian Goldsworthy follows Octavian from the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s assassination to his four decades as Augustus. He shows how a young heir secured power through civil war and gradually reshaped Roman government, grounding the narrative in military and political detail.
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The Greeks by Roderick Beaton: Continuity and Identity from Antiquity to the Modern Diaspora
Roderick Beaton traces Greek history from the Bronze Age to the present, following how language, culture, and political identity endured across shifting empires and borders. He presents Hellenism as a continuous tradition shaped by migration, empire, and reinvention rather than confined to classical antiquity.
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The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan: Political Breakdown and Reform in the Late Roman Republic
Mike Duncan examines the political crises that followed the rise of the Gracchi, tracing how reform, violence, and institutional strain reshaped the Roman Republic before Caesar. By focusing on the decades between 133 and 70 BCE, he argues that the Republic’s collapse began earlier than is often assumed.
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Rubicon by Tom Holland: The Drama of the Roman Republic’s Collapse
Tom Holland traces the final decades of the Roman Republic, following the rivalries and reforms that destabilised its institutions. Through a tightly structured narrative, he argues that personal ambition and structural weakness combined to make republican government unsustainable.
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SPQR by Mary Beard: A Modern Classic of Roman History
Mary Beard surveys Rome from its early traditions to the extension of citizenship across the empire, reassessing how power and political identity developed. She challenges familiar stories about emperors and elites, offering a broader view of who shaped Roman history.