The Provinces of the Roman Empire

By Theodor Mommsen

Book Overview

"The Provinces of the Roman Empire, Vol. 2: From Caesar to Diocletian" by Theodor Mommsen offers a detailed exploration of Roman administration in its vast provinces. This volume delves into the intricate systems that governed territories from the era of Caesar through the reforms of Diocletian. A cornerstone of ancient history scholarship, the book examines the structures and policies that shaped the Roman Empire's relationship with its diverse regions.

Mommsen's comprehensive study sheds light on the political and administrative complexities of Roman governance. Readers gain insight into how the empire maintained control and extracted resources across its widespread territories. This historical work remains essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Roman Empire and its lasting impact on Europe and political thought. It provides a vital perspective on the dynamics between the central authority and the far-reaching provinces of one of history's most influential civilizations.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023416050
• ISBN13: 9781023416054
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Bit Slow at Times

Provinces of the Roman Empire gets a bit slow at times, and that is understandable since it is a compiled two volume book on the history of those important provinces of Rome and their contributions to the empire. I agree with the reviewer who said there was not enough culture. After pages upon pages about inscriptions, coins, wars, and revolts it would have been nice to have at least more than a paragraph or two on the native religion and the culture of the people before the hellenization. The best section for me was that dealing with Judea. Since the Jewish religion is so intertwined with the Hebrew state, then Mommsen was forced to include more information of the culture of the populace than what he devotes in the other sections. I'm not qualified to judge this book on its merit as a historical reference, but I have come away from reading it with more information about the lands that were subject to Rome. If you have a thirst for Roman history, then by all means read this book, just don't expect a great deal of information about cultural issues.

Provinces

While the author's admiration for what he calls "the Latin-Greek civilizing process"is unquestionable, his exploration of how the widening circle of Roman influence sustained itself is handled with systematic scrupulousness. Mommsen describes Rome's acquisition and ultimate control of Gaul, Spain, Britain, the Danubian lands, as well as Greece and Asia Minor. He then discusses at equal length Rome's difficult dominion in Egypt, Judaea, Syria, the North African territories, and the frontiers along the Euphrates.The Provinces of the Roman Empire was originally published as two volumes in Mommen's magnificent multivolume History of Rome, a life's work that contributed to his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902. (The award was given for Mommen's eloquent style-the work itself is first-rate historical scholarship.) That Mommsen structured these two volumes as a work that could stand alone within his larger istory is made clar in his introduction, and has been affirmed by later historians.