The Romans in writing

Skybird · 09-23-09, 07:09 PM

I would like to find a good, long reading about the Romans, from the beginning over the various republics and tyrannies up to the final fading of the empire, dealing with the social, political and economic factors and models, the role and the use of war - but not exclusively dealing with the military side of things.

In general I look for a pendant in style to Paul Kennedy's "Rise and Fall of the Great Powers 1500-2000" ; or Jürgen Osterhammel's "Die Verwandlung der Welt: Geschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts" (brandnew, just finished it, very good work) - just not about Europe/the West, but about the Romans.

It should be available in German language, too, it must not be a German author, but at least a German translation. If it is big in page numbers, it is no problem, but it should be a fluid reading without becoming superficial.

I have read several books about the Romans, but they either were too specific or too shallow, so leaving me with many scattered and specific pieces of info but no real integrative model/understanding of the "whole".

A similiar piece about the Greeks, or a work inclduing both Romans and Greeks, also would be welcomed.

Any tips, hints, suggestions? It's autumn and winter coming, that means long gemütliche evenings with many hours of free time for reading...

Shearwater · 09-23-09, 07:18 PM

Hehe

Cambridge Ancient History

Volumes of fun - just trying to read it cover to cover.

Probably the one book you're looking for:
Hans-Joachim Gehrke, Helmuth Schneider (Hgg.), Geschichte der Antike. Ein Studienbuch, Stuttgart: Metzler 2000. (I have the first edition, but there's a second out now.)
The time scope encompasses all epochs one would consider 'Ancient', from Minoan Greece to Late Antiquity.
Includes political/military history (though it's more of a rough guideline here) as well as social and economic history. And it comes with a nifty bibliography.

If that's not enough, I've got loads of other recommendations. Just let me know

Skybird · 09-23-09, 07:36 PM

Danke,

I will have a look at Gehrke in the bookshop first. A "Studienbuch" (= says Amazon) is not really what I was looking for, in the meaning of a work optimised for use in university business. I do not want to get reminded of university times, but simply have a fluid, good quality reading.

The stunning characteristic of Paul Kennedy's book is that his book is exactly that not: a Studienbuch, but nevertheless is not sacrificing quality for it's superb readability. That's why I picked it as a comparison for what I am looking for.

Any more tips matching my search criteria?

P.S.Cambridge Ancient History, eh? I fold!

Respenus · 09-24-09, 03:36 AM

I haven't had any good books about the Romans in my hands lately, although you might find some guidelines in the list. It is from the EB mod for RTW, which is a military mod, yet you may still find something interesting.

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=70698

Skybird · 09-24-09, 08:14 AM

All in English it seems, and almost all quite specific, it seems. Thanks nevertheless.

It's weired, I was in two big bookshops in town today, the Gehrke they did noit have, and everythign else was very specific. A lot of books, but the few general works were all 100 pages summaries, and very shallow, it seemed to me. I left without buying anything.

Will check the Gehrke in the public library next week.

Shearwater · 09-24-09, 03:59 PM

A similar scope like Geschichte der Antike, but not exactly a 'Studienbuch' is
- Werner Dahlheim, Die Antike. Griechenland und Rom, Paderborn 1994.

It has received somewhat mixed reviews from Amazon, but I've read the first 40 pages of it (Roman section, that is), and my first impression was that it's a very enjoyable read. Then again, 40 pages are probably not enough to judge whether it's repetitive or unstructured. Maybe you can find it at some local library.

The best, in terms of readability and expertise, is probably
- Hermann Bengtson, Römische Geschichte. Republik und Kaiserzeit bis 284 n.Chr., München 2001.

If you're interested in social history, there's an inexpensive soft cover edition of
- Andrea Giardina (Hg.), Der Mensch der römischen Antike, Essen 2004. (collection of essays)
Very suitable as 'fireside reading'.
Enjoy

09-23-09, 07:09 PM	#1
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,602 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	The Romans in writing I would like to find a good, long reading about the Romans, from the beginning over the various republics and tyrannies up to the final fading of the empire, dealing with the social, political and economic factors and models, the role and the use of war - but not exclusively dealing with the military side of things. In general I look for a pendant in style to Paul Kennedy's "Rise and Fall of the Great Powers 1500-2000" ; or Jürgen Osterhammel's "Die Verwandlung der Welt: Geschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts" (brandnew, just finished it, very good work) - just not about Europe/the West, but about the Romans. It should be available in German language, too, it must not be a German author, but at least a German translation. If it is big in page numbers, it is no problem, but it should be a fluid reading without becoming superficial. I have read several books about the Romans, but they either were too specific or too shallow, so leaving me with many scattered and specific pieces of info but no real integrative model/understanding of the "whole". A similiar piece about the Greeks, or a work inclduing both Romans and Greeks, also would be welcomed. Any tips, hints, suggestions? It's autumn and winter coming, that means long gemütliche evenings with many hours of free time for reading... __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-23-09, 07:36 PM	#3
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,602 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Danke, I will have a look at Gehrke in the bookshop first. A "Studienbuch" (= says Amazon) is not really what I was looking for, in the meaning of a work optimised for use in university business. I do not want to get reminded of university times, but simply have a fluid, good quality reading. The stunning characteristic of Paul Kennedy's book is that his book is exactly that not: a Studienbuch, but nevertheless is not sacrificing quality for it's superb readability. That's why I picked it as a comparison for what I am looking for. Any more tips matching my search criteria? P.S.Cambridge Ancient History, eh? I fold! __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-24-09, 03:36 AM	#4
Respenus Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,169 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I haven't had any good books about the Romans in my hands lately, although you might find some guidelines in the list. It is from the EB mod for RTW, which is a military mod, yet you may still find something interesting. http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=70698 __________________

09-24-09, 08:14 AM	#5
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,602 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	All in English it seems, and almost all quite specific, it seems. Thanks nevertheless. It's weired, I was in two big bookshops in town today, the Gehrke they did noit have, and everythign else was very specific. A lot of books, but the few general works were all 100 pages summaries, and very shallow, it seemed to me. I left without buying anything. Will check the Gehrke in the public library next week. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

09-23-09, 07:18 PM	#2
Shearwater Captain Join Date: May 2009 Location: SUBSIM Radio Room (kinda obvious, isn't it) Posts: 542 Downloads: 45 Uploads: 0	Hehe Cambridge Ancient History Volumes of fun - just trying to read it cover to cover. Probably the one book you're looking for: *Hans-Joachim Gehrke, Helmuth Schneider (Hgg.), Geschichte der Antike. Ein Studienbuch, Stuttgart: Metzler 2000.* (I have the first edition, but there's a second out now.) The time scope encompasses all epochs one would consider 'Ancient', from Minoan Greece to Late Antiquity. Includes political/military history (though it's more of a rough guideline here) as well as social and economic history. And it comes with a nifty bibliography. If that's not enough, I've got loads of other recommendations. Just let me know

09-24-09, 03:59 PM	#6
Shearwater Captain Join Date: May 2009 Location: SUBSIM Radio Room (kinda obvious, isn't it) Posts: 542 Downloads: 45 Uploads: 0	A similar scope like Geschichte der Antike, but not exactly a 'Studienbuch' is - Werner Dahlheim, Die Antike. Griechenland und Rom, Paderborn 1994. It has received somewhat mixed reviews from Amazon, but I've read the first 40 pages of it (Roman section, that is), and my first impression was that it's a very enjoyable read. Then again, 40 pages are probably not enough to judge whether it's repetitive or unstructured. Maybe you can find it at some local library. The best, in terms of readability and expertise, is probably - Hermann Bengtson, Römische Geschichte. Republik und Kaiserzeit bis 284 n.Chr., München 2001. If you're interested in social history, there's an inexpensive soft cover edition of - Andrea Giardina (Hg.), Der Mensch der römischen Antike, Essen 2004. (collection of essays) Very suitable as 'fireside reading'. Enjoy