tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post3495817256349895664..comments2024-02-29T02:54:19.767-05:00Comments on Babbling Books: The Rise of Rome by Anthony Everitt Brian Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-85662099669811049902013-06-22T20:38:55.541-04:002013-06-22T20:38:55.541-04:00Hi Jane - Thanks for the good word.
I do agree th...Hi Jane - Thanks for the good word.<br /><br />I do agree that many legends have some basis in fact. Everitt even explores that idea a little. However we have to be really careful to draw too many conclusions from these myths. We do not what parts are true and what parts or not. Often, as Everitt points out, the facts are changed to make a social, political or religious point. So a defeat is turned into a victory, a murderer turned into a hero, etc. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-48928225871963089062013-06-22T16:31:36.436-04:002013-06-22T16:31:36.436-04:00Great review of what sounds like an excellent book...Great review of what sounds like an excellent book.<br /><br />>Everitt encapsulates the fascinating though mostly fictional tales of such figures as Aeneas, Romulus and Remus, as well as accounts of possibly real people involved in actions and events that were likely wholly or in part apocryphal. <br /><br />I'm one of those people that believe many legends have kernal of truth in them, and so I know I would absolutely love this part of the book.<br /><br />This is definitely one of my favorite periods of history--so much to learn about, imagine, etc.<br /><br />>“The idea of Rome is imprinted on our genes.”<br /><br />Yep! :)JaneGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11094501834387622997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-67521292378619084752013-06-18T18:58:54.147-04:002013-06-18T18:58:54.147-04:00Hey Maria - This was really a great read. It howev...Hey Maria - This was really a great read. It however ends when the Republic ends and the age of Emperors begin, so it is only part of the story.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-80609269022796496262013-06-18T09:51:01.395-04:002013-06-18T09:51:01.395-04:00I must confess that I don't know much about Ro...I must confess that I don't know much about Roman history -- beyond the basics, that is. I should read this book, since it offers a fascinating, and very thorough, look at the culture of an empire that formed the bedrock of Western civilaziont. It's also a gret lesson on how the greed for conquest and domination brought about that empire's downfall. <br /><br />I'm adding this to my Goodreads TBR shelf! Thanks for commenting on it!! :)Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-22515923363342352212013-06-12T05:22:43.368-04:002013-06-12T05:22:43.368-04:00Hi VB - Good point about Points of view and histor...Hi VB - Good point about Points of view and history. Though there is definitely something to this, I do think that these days historians, with varying degrees of success, have attempted to look at history from alternate angles.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-87689665834024518112013-06-12T04:50:47.788-04:002013-06-12T04:50:47.788-04:00I love anything that deal with Roman history ..Bu... I love anything that deal with Roman history ..But I have always wondered history is something written by people who win that would drastically affect the real facts is not!!!...But I think that would be just a minor problem..<br />Great review Brian and this I'm adding to my TBR list...vbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815931257531886393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-61815933581294392992013-05-31T22:40:52.015-04:002013-05-31T22:40:52.015-04:00Hi Heidi - There is a little bit about the grain i...Hi Heidi - There is a little bit about the grain issue in this book. This book really did fill in lots of gaps for me about Rome's early years.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-31482906454167937672013-05-31T22:38:54.056-04:002013-05-31T22:38:54.056-04:00Hi Emma - I think there really is something to you...Hi Emma - I think there really is something to your point about closeness. Though I do not live i9n a place where there are Roman ruins, in many ways we seem to have much more in common with the Romans then we do with Western Europe culture that existed a thousand years later.<br /><br />The Gordianus series looks like a really neat bunch of books.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-42420069565592496672013-05-31T19:07:47.992-04:002013-05-31T19:07:47.992-04:00512 pages sounds doable. I was watching a TV show ...512 pages sounds doable. I was watching a TV show about how grain was a major reason that the Roman Empire developed. I was a little skeptical because there are so many threads to why and how an empire comes into being. This book sounds like it would answer my questions.Heidi’sbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15647096496574605262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-58907156347751805172013-05-31T16:30:22.115-04:002013-05-31T16:30:22.115-04:00It seems to be a fascinating book. The Romans were...It seems to be a fascinating book. The Romans were an incredible people and I always wonder how we managed to lose so much of their knowledge so quickly after the fall of the empire.<br /><br />For me, this civilization seems "close" in a sense, as we still have in our cities amphitheaters, arenas, baths in more on less good shape. In my town, you can go to concerts in the Roman amphitheatre.<br /><br />For those who, like me, aren't good at reading non-fiction, I highlt recommend the Gordianus series by Steven Saylor. It's crime fiction in Rome at the turning point between Republic and Empire. Saylor describes very well the society, the institutions and the politics of that time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-11445111148156361762013-05-29T22:33:56.651-04:002013-05-29T22:33:56.651-04:00Hi Suko - I would say this is a must read read if ...Hi Suko - I would say this is a must read read if one is interested in ancient history. It really is a great book. I must admit however that when I try to discuss this with folks who are not into it, their eyes seem to glaze over.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-51255392069837919562013-05-29T15:13:51.195-04:002013-05-29T15:13:51.195-04:00This sounds like a must-read book, Brian. Your bol...This sounds like a must-read book, Brian. Your bold new blog format seems perfect to highlight this book about Rome. Sukohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11893742747135555499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-30781815187935938642013-05-29T08:29:41.656-04:002013-05-29T08:29:41.656-04:00Hi Richard - There is so much history to read it i...Hi Richard - There is so much history to read it is difficult to get to everything.<br /><br />I must admit to not having read any of the histories written by the Romans or Greeks themselves such as Tacitus or Thucydides.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-68102048812099246922013-05-29T01:51:09.323-04:002013-05-29T01:51:09.323-04:00You can't go wrong with Greek or Roman history...You can't go wrong with Greek or Roman history from an educational or entertainment standpoint, although I have to confess I haven't read as much about either since I started blogging for some reason. Anyway, thanks for bringing this volume to my attention (I'll keep it in mind for after I finish my Greek and Roman backlog, which is many books deep now). Have you ever read Tacitus' <em>Annals</em> or <em>Histories</em>, Brian? Amazing writing from my favorite Roman historian of them all!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-7647389284786247532013-05-27T14:57:19.465-04:002013-05-27T14:57:19.465-04:00Hi Petty - It was 512 pages and not that dense. As...Hi Petty - It was 512 pages and not that dense. As these types of books go I did not think that this was all that long. In terms of the early years of the Republic there is a limited amount that is know,<br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-59422074201484003942013-05-27T09:43:51.007-04:002013-05-27T09:43:51.007-04:00What a wonderfully thorough review. A period in hi...What a wonderfully thorough review. A period in history I'm fascinated by but this sounds like a bit of a weighty tome ..... perhaps better in 2 parts?Felicity Grace Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17852843882007267665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-11525995693544141562013-05-26T16:36:49.460-04:002013-05-26T16:36:49.460-04:00Hi Naida - As per Everitt the gladiatorial games w...Hi Naida - As per Everitt the gladiatorial games were begun in this period. They may have been borrowed from Rome's neighbors but the Republic spread them throughout the Mediterranean. These were of course savage barbarism and the Republic did no favor to Western Civilization with this practice.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-11042009950491743882013-05-26T16:33:23.803-04:002013-05-26T16:33:23.803-04:00Hi Guy - I would say that this was 50 - 60 % a Cla...Hi Guy - I would say that this was 50 - 60 % a Classic history and the remainder a social history. Though I find traditional history more interesting I think that this mix was about perfect.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-46967201318124480992013-05-26T16:31:54.960-04:002013-05-26T16:31:54.960-04:00Hi Harvee - Ha, Ha! I would actually thinks that f...Hi Harvee - Ha, Ha! I would actually thinks that folks into Latin would not be into math either. I suppose one reason to know Latin is to help with these Roman histories.<br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-16748019667682442302013-05-26T16:29:34.940-04:002013-05-26T16:29:34.940-04:00Hi Dwight - Thanks for stopping by.
I definitel...Hi Dwight - Thanks for stopping by. <br /><br />I definitely agree that this was a really organized work. Everitt is also about as balanced as an historian gets.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-83372063664202492442013-05-26T13:42:42.540-04:002013-05-26T13:42:42.540-04:00This sounds fascinating Brian, reading about how t...This sounds fascinating Brian, reading about how the Roman the Republic was formed and continued to grow. When I think of ancient Rome, the gladiators are what come to mind first. Great ending statement too.<br /><br />The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10217390642323530030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-29046042680643947522013-05-26T12:10:33.423-04:002013-05-26T12:10:33.423-04:00Would you rather read this sort of history or a cl...Would you rather read this sort of history or a classic history? Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytilingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-5909170938121022852013-05-26T11:58:54.592-04:002013-05-26T11:58:54.592-04:00Those old Roman names remind me of Latin classes i...Those old Roman names remind me of Latin classes in high school. I was miserable in Latin as I was in math. I think the two go together. Luckily, I didn't try to major in either...Harveehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03490108303790217277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-18014579323293933602013-05-26T11:30:10.361-04:002013-05-26T11:30:10.361-04:00I listened to the book and really enjoyed it--well...I listened to the book and really enjoyed it--well organized and presented and, as you mention, very fair. Thanks for posting on this!Dwighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13688525659034403580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-84558547042370682892013-05-26T09:46:28.368-04:002013-05-26T09:46:28.368-04:00Hi Caroline - I think that the colonization machi...Hi Caroline - I think that the colonization machine model for Rome is a valid and useful way of looking at the Roman State. I have not read Julian but have heard much about it. <br /><br />The life stories of the Emperors are incredibly fascinating.<br /><br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com