The Ancient Roman World

Reviews / Votes

"Numerous books deal with ancient Rome, but this volume from the World in Ancient Times series has the advantage of being more readable, more complete, and more attractive than most.... The book is more accessible than many volumes on the subject; the writing is quite engaging, with plenty of sourced quotations....A promising start to a new series." --Booklist
"A professional historian and a YA novelist pair off to kick a wide-angle history of Rome up a notch. The result makes livelier-than-average reading....Supported by plenty of color photos -- either of ancient artifacts or Neoclassical reconstructions of pivotal events, closely based on cited ancient sources -- and incorporating many recent discoveries, this will make a solid update or replacement for older conventional
surveys."--Kirkus Reviews
"...at makes this book accessible is the lively writing.. Many quotes from ancient writers also add interest. Chapters on gladiatorial games, business, and class conflict balance other more purely historical sections covering emperors, wars, and conquests. The numerous illustrations include full-color photographs and reproductions of sites, artifacts, period artwork, and an occasional movie still. There are also a number of simple maps. A
comprehensive index adds to the book's usefulness for research and reports. Don Nardo's From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome (Lucent, 2003) is less comprehensive." -- School Library Journal
"With the continuing discoveries of archaeologists and researchers, history is constantly changing...and so is `narning about history thanks to this series." --Growing Minds
"For fans of Joy Hakim's wonderful History of US series, Oxford University Press is publishing The World in Ancient Times, the multi-volume world history equivalent....This series is a great idea." -- Home Education
"Numerous books deal with ancient Rome, but this volume from the World in Ancient Times series has the advantage of being more readable, more complete, and more attractive than most....Includes chapters on important figures, such as Julius Caesar, Augustus, Hadrian, and on such topics as the Etruscans, the evolution of the republic, Greek influences, slavery, and the rise of Christianity....The book is more accessible than many volumes on the subject; the
writing is quite engaging, with plenty of sourced quotations. It's a promising start to a new series, to be followed by volumes on China and Greece, which will also be written by a historian in tandem with
an author who writes for young adults." --Booklist
"Twenty-six chapters covering the history of Rome from its founding to its fall make this volume somewhat more inclusive than many other works for this audience. What makes this book accessible is the lively writing. The story of Spartacus and his slave revolt, for example, is told without embellishment, but in a narrative form that brings it alive. Many quotes from ancient writers also add interest. Chapters on gladiatorial games, business, and class conflict
balance other more purely historical sections covering emperors, wars, and conquests. The numerous illustrations include full-color photographs and reproductions of sites, artifacts, period artwork,
and an occasional movie still. There are also a number of simple maps. A comprehensive index adds to the book's usefulness for research and reports. Don Nardo's From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome (Lucent, 2003) is less comprehensive." -- School Library Journal