A Profile Of Ancient Rome

Illustrations, text, and reproductions of historical items provide an overview of the history and culture of ancient Rome, including information on its sites, monuments, protagonists, religion, language, political and legal system, armies, economy, architecture, and everyday life.

“This book will be of the greatest service . . . a scholarly and convenient presentation of a vast array of facts.” –Times Literary Supplement In this well-written and well-researched social history, F. R. Cowell succeeds in making Life in Ancient Rome alive and dynamic. The combination of acute historical detail and supplementary illustrations makes this book perfectly suited for the student preparing to explore classics, as well as the tourist preparing to explore twentieth-century Rome. Lucid and engaging, Life in Ancient Rome is for anyone seeking familiarity with the greatness that was Rome.

Accompanied by the masterpieces and memories of illustrious figures, we follow the arc of a city and a civilization from its beginnings to its height and fall, leafing through pages of history from the various eras. Rome was the final act of antiquity, and a dramatic conception of a new world."--BOOK JACKET.

By the third century BC, the once-modest settlement of Rome had conquered most of Italy and was poised to build an empire throughout the Mediterranean basin. What transformed a humble city into the preeminent power of the region? In The Rise of Rome, the historian and archaeologist Kathryn Lomas reconstructs the diplomatic ploys, political stratagems, and cultural exchanges whereby Rome established itself as a dominant player in a region already brimming with competitors. The Latin world, she argues, was not so much subjugated by Rome as unified by it. This new type of society that emerged from Rome’s conquest and unification of Italy would serve as a political model for centuries to come. Archaic Italy was home to a vast range of ethnic communities, each with its own language and customs. Some such as the Etruscans, and later the Samnites, were major rivals of Rome. From the late Iron Age onward, these groups interacted in increasingly dynamic ways within Italy and beyond, expanding trade and influencing religion, dress, architecture, weaponry, and government throughout the region. Rome manipulated preexisting social and political structures in the conquered territories with great care, extending strategic invitations to citizenship and thereby allowing a degree of local independence while also fostering a sense of imperial belonging. In the story of Rome’s rise, Lomas identifies nascent political structures that unified the empire’s diverse populations, and finds the beginnings of Italian peoplehood.

The series that packs a world of knowledge into your pocket Get fast facts at your fingertips with DK Pocket Eyewitness Ancient Rome, packed with bite-sized chunks of information that make learning about the Roman Empire even more fun. Find out what Romans ate at their banquets and what bloody spectacles they watched at the arena. Read about cruel emperors and brave gladiators and about how Romans built their roads, aqueducts, palaces and the Colosseum. Use the catalogue entries to find out fast facts about everything to do with the Romans from their gods and goddesses to their toys, games and musical instruments. Packed with amazing encyclopedic stats, engaging photographs and genius gem facts, DK Pocket Eyewitness Ancient Rome will help you explore the empire that dominated Europe and the Middle East for more than 500 years. Perfect for school projects and homework assignments, DK Pocket Eyewitness Ancient Rome tells you all about the Romans and how they lived.

The influence of the Roman Empire has been widespread and profound, perhaps more so than that of any other empire or civilization. Rome laid the foundation for many of the institutions and ideas in the modern Western world, including the common political and legal systems. Roman ruins can still be found in distant England, and Roman aqueducts still bring fresh drinking water to modern Rome. Other legacies of the Roman Empire include concrete, pizza, sports arenas, and many English words. Empire of Ancient Rome, Revised Edition opens with a brief summary of the Roman Empire and provides an account of the world and geographic area in the years leading up to the empire. In an easy-to-follow format, this volume covers the growth of Rome as a republic, the political and social forces that drove the transition to a dictatorship of caesars, the reasons for Rome's eventual decline, and what happened to the remnants of the empire.

Old age today is a contentious topic. It can be seen as a demographic timebomb or as a resource of wisdom and experience to be valued and exploited. There is frequent debate over how we value the elderly, and whether ageing is an affliction to be treated or a natural process to be embraced. Karen Cokayne explores how ancient Rome dealt with the physical, intellectual and emotional implications of the ageing process, and asks how the Romans themselves experienced and responded to old age. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary material - written sources, inscriptions, and visual evidence - the study brings into focus universal concerns, including geriatric illness, memory loss and senility; the status and role of the old, sexuality and family relationships. The book's unique emphasis on both the individual and society's responses to ageing makes it a valuable contribution to the study of the social history of Rome.

Part of a series, this visual guide to Ancient Rome gives an insight into the lives of the people that lived in ancient Rome. Every aspect of Roman life is covered, from the cooking utensils they used and the food that they ate, to the instruments they used to cleanse and beautify themselves.