Category: Ancient History
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Augustus by Adrian Goldsworthy: Power, Pragmatism, and the Making of the Roman Principate
Read more: Augustus by Adrian Goldsworthy: Power, Pragmatism, and the Making of the Roman PrincipateAdrian 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
Read more: The Greeks by Roderick Beaton: Continuity and Identity from Antiquity to the Modern DiasporaRoderick 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
Read more: The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan: Political Breakdown and Reform in the Late Roman RepublicMike 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
Read more: Rubicon by Tom Holland: The Drama of the Roman Republic’s CollapseTom 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
Read more: SPQR by Mary Beard: A Modern Classic of Roman HistoryMary 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.