The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180

By Martin Goodman

Book Overview

The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180 deals with the transformation of the Mediterranean regions, northern Europe and the Near East by the military autocrats who ruled Rome during this period. The book traces the impact of imperial politics on life in the city of Rome itself and in the rest of the empire, arguing that, despite long periods of apparent peace, this was a society controlled as much by fear of state violence as by consent.

Martin Goodman examines the reliance of Roman emperors on a huge military establishment and the threat of force. He analyses the extent to which the empire functioned as a single political, economic and cultural unit and discusses, region by region, how much the various indigenous cultures and societies were affected by Roman rule. The book has a long section devoted to the momentous religious changes in this period, which witnessed the popularity and spread of a series of elective cults and the emergence of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity from the complex world of first-century Judaea. This book provides a critical assessment of the significance of Roman rule for inhabitants of the empire, and introduces readers to many of the main issues currently faced by historians of the early empire.

This new edition, incorporating the finds of recent scholarship, includes a fuller narrative history, expanded sections on the history of women and slaves and on cultural life in the city of Rome, many new illustrations, an updated section of bibliographical notes, and other improvements designed to make the volume as useful as possible to students as well as the general reader.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415559790
• ISBN13: 9780415559799
• Release Date: November 2011
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180: Review

I originally bought this book back in about 2000 or so, and decided this summer to finally read it - wow, am I glad I did. It is as some have commented, a work with many names, and references - but does come with a Notes section at the end, so you can look up all the information as you go along. I think that the book is well written, and gives a nice topographical view of the Roman world from 44BC - the death of J. Caesar to 180AD the advent of Commodus (if you saw Gladiator, you know who he is). It's coverage of the whole Roman Empire, into economical, religious, and society is quite riveting, and well thought out. It is not a difficult book to read, and has short chapters, with headings for each section - this will make it easier for you to read, and follow along. He uses archaeological, and written sources, and does this quite well. I wholly recommend this book, and think most will find it good to read.

Bland Title, Powerful Book

This book is an insightful summary of the Roman empire, and the way it worked. Professor Goodman's analysis of the underlying power structure of the empire and how the subjects persuaded themselves to accept what today we would call a military dictatorship is compelling, and contains insights for our own time. For example, a) just why did the Romans need such a large army anyway ? b) why would anyone want to be a senator, when it's the emperor who calls all the shots ?If you want to know the answers, but this book.