Waubonsee Community College

The rise of Rome, the making of the world's greatest empire, Anthony Everitt

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 423-426) and index

platesillustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

The rise of Rome

bibliography

761847051

Anthony Everitt

the making of the world's greatest empire

Rome's decline and fall have long fascinated historians, but the story of how the empire was won is every bit as compelling. Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.E., Rome grew to become the ancient world's preeminent power. Historian Anthony Everitt fashions the story of Rome's rise to glory into an erudite page-turner filled with lessons for our time. He paints indelible portraits of the great Romans--and non-Romans--who left their mark on the Roman world. 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.--From publisher description

1. Legend -- A new Troy -- Kings and tyrants -- Expulsion -- So what really happened? -- 2. Story -- The land and its people -- Free at last -- General strike -- The fall of Rome -- Under the yoke -- 3. History -- The adventurer -- All at sea -- "Hannibal at the gates!" -- The bird without a tail -- Change and decay -- The gorgeous East -- Blood brothers -- Triumph and disaster -- Afterword -- Timeline