The Mediterranean Sea From Alexander To The Rise Of Rome

This book is designed to describe the environmental, political, socioeconomic, and military life of the inhabitants that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea from the fourth through the second centuries BC. This story relates the complex dynamic interrelationships among the people and states of the Mediterranean basin. The book explores the greater Mediterranean world that stretched from India to Spain. It begins with a review of some of the geographical, environmental, and structural characteristics of the Mediterranean basin. The balance of the book then proceeds to trace the political, military, and economic development of this region. We review the rise of Macedon under Philip II through the conquests of Alexander the Great. In the eastern basin, the development and conflicts of the Hellenistic kingdoms of the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid dynasties are then traced. We then turn the page and discuss the rise of Carthage and Rome as republics in the western basin. Next, the conflict between these two powers is analyzed which leaves Rome supreme in the west. The next chapters narrate the struggle between Rome and the Hellenistic kingdoms for dominance in the east. The book concludes with Roman supremacy established throughout the Mediterranean by the end of the second century. From the apex conqueror of antiquity Alexander the Great, we conclude with the establishment of the apex empire that was Rome.

This book is designed to describe the environmental, political, socioeconomic, and military life of the inhabitants that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea from the fourth through the second centuries BC. This story relates the complex dynamic interrelationships among the people and states of the Mediterranean basin. The book explores the greater Mediterranean world that stretched from India to Spain. It begins with a review of some of the geographical, environmental, and structural characteristics of the Mediterranean basin. The balance of the book then proceeds to trace the political, military, and economic development of this region. We review the rise of Macedon under Philip II through the conquests of Alexander the Great. In the eastern basin, the development and conflicts of the Hellenistic kingdoms of the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid dynasties are then traced. We then turn the page and discuss the rise of Carthage and Rome as republics in the western basin. Next, the conflict between these two powers is analyzed which leaves Rome supreme in the west. The next chapters narrate the struggle between Rome and the Hellenistic kingdoms for dominance in the east. The book concludes with Roman supremacy established throughout the Mediterranean by the end of the second century. From the apex conqueror of antiquity Alexander the Great, we conclude with the establishment of the apex empire that was Rome.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE KANSAS CITY STAR From Anthony Everitt, the bestselling author of acclaimed biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian, comes a riveting, magisterial account of Rome and its remarkable ascent from an obscure agrarian backwater to the greatest empire the world has ever known. Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to become the ancient world’s preeminent power. Everitt fashions the story of Rome’s rise to glory into an erudite page-turner filled with lasting lessons for our time. He chronicles the clash between patricians and plebeians that defined the politics of the Republic. He shows how Rome’s shrewd strategy of offering citizenship to her defeated subjects was instrumental in expanding the reach of her burgeoning empire. And he outlines the corrosion of constitutional norms that accompanied Rome’s imperial expansion, as old habits of political compromise gave way, leading to violence and civil war. In the end, unimaginable wealth and power corrupted the traditional virtues of the Republic, and Rome was left triumphant everywhere except within its own borders. Everitt paints indelible portraits of the great Romans—and non-Romans—who left their mark on the world out of which the mighty empire grew: Cincinnatus, Rome’s George Washington, the very model of the patrician warrior/aristocrat; the brilliant general Scipio Africanus, who turned back a challenge from the Carthaginian legend Hannibal; and Alexander the Great, the invincible Macedonian conqueror who became a role model for generations of would-be Roman rulers. Here also are the intellectual and philosophical leaders whose observations on the art of government and “the good life” have inspired every Western power from antiquity to the present: Cato the Elder, the famously incorruptible statesman who spoke out against the decadence of his times, and Cicero, the consummate orator whose championing of republican institutions put him on a collision course with Julius Caesar and whose writings on justice and liberty continue to inform our political discourse today. Rome’s decline and fall have long fascinated historians, but the story of how the empire was won is every bit as compelling. With The Rise of Rome, one of our most revered chroniclers of the ancient world tells that tale in a way that will galvanize, inform, and enlighten modern readers. Praise for The Rise of Rome “Fascinating history and a great read.”—Chicago Sun-Times “An engrossing history of a relentlessly pugnacious city’s 500-year rise to empire.”—Kirkus Reviews “Rome’s history abounds with remarkable figures. . . . Everitt writes for the informed and the uninformed general reader alike, in a brisk, conversational style, with a modern attitude of skepticism and realism.”—The Dallas Morning News “[A] lively and readable account . . . Roman history has an uncanny ability to resonate with contemporary events.”—Maclean’s “Elegant, swift and faultless as an introduction to his subject.”—The Spectator “[An] engaging work that will captivate and inform from beginning to end.”—Booklist

An interdisciplinary approach to the Mediterranean’s rich, multicultural history. Located at the intersection of Asia, Africa, and Europe, the Mediterranean has connected societies for millennia, creating a shared space of intense economic, cultural, and political interaction. Greek temples in Sicily, Roman ruins in North Africa, and Ottoman fortifications in Greece serve as reminders that the Mediterranean has no fixed national boundaries or stable ethnic and religious identities. In The Mediterranean World, Monique O’Connell and Eric R Dursteler examine the history of this contested region from the medieval to the early modern era, beginning with the fall of Rome around 500 CE and closing with Napoleon’s attempted conquest of Egypt in 1798. Arguing convincingly that the Mediterranean should be studied as a singular unit, the authors explore the centuries when no lone power dominated the Mediterranean Sea and invaders brought their own unique languages and cultures to the region. Structured around four interlocking themes—mobility, state development, commerce, and frontiers—this beautifully illustrated book brings new dimensions to the concepts of Mediterranean nationality and identity.

"A major contribution to the study of Roman imperialism and ancient international relations."—John Rich, University of Nottingham

Journey back in time to ancient civilizations across Asia, into Inca fortresses and beyond. . Send your child on an incredible adventure into ancient worlds as they join Alexander the Great as he battles his way across Asia, discover why Mayan kings gave their own blood to the gods, and travel down the Nile to wonder at the mighty pyramids of the pharaohs. Travel around the world to see how ancient peoples lived. From the earliest cities where writing was invented to the great civilizations of Rome, Egypt, China and more. It's a thrilling interactive adventure.

This volume examines the period from Rome's earliest involvement in the eastern Mediterranean to the establishment of Roman geopolitical dominance over all the Greek states from the Adriatic Sea to Syria by the 180s BC. Applies modern political theory to ancient Mediterranean history, taking a Realist approach to its analysis of Roman involvement in the Greek Mediterranean Focuses on the harsh nature of interactions among states under conditions of anarchy while examining the conduct of both Rome and Greek states during the period, and focuses on what the concepts of modern political science can tell us about ancient international relations Includes detailed discussion of the crisis that convulsed the Greek world in the last decade of the third century BC Provides a balanced portrait of Roman militarism and imperialism in the Hellenistic world

A short history of nearly everything classical. The foundations of the modern world were laid in Alexandria of Egypt at the turn of the first millennium. In this compulsively readable narrative, Justin Pollard and Howard Reid bring one of history's most fascinating and prolific cities to life, creating a treasure trove of our intellectual and cultural origins. Famous for its lighthouse, its library-the greatest in antiquity-and its fertile intellectual and spiritual life--it was here that Christianity and Islam came to prominence as world religions--Alexandria now takes its rightful place alongside Greece and Rome as a titan of the ancient world. Sparkling with fresh insights on science, philosophy, culture, and invention, this is an irresistible, eye- opening delight.