2024 the best roman emperors review

Price: $26.95 - $19.12
(as of Dec 05, 2024 10:14:14 UTC - Details)

The essential dual-purpose book on imperial Rome: a highly readable popular history and a unique work of reference.

This is the first book to focus on the succession of rulers of imperial Rome, using timelines and other visual aids throughout. Now no one need be in any doubt as to who built the Colosseum or when Rome was sacked by the Goths: Chronicle of the Roman Emperors provides the answers quickly and authoritatively.

The biographical portraits of the principal emperors from Augustus to Constantine, together with a concluding section on the later emperors, make the book a comprehensive history of imperial Rome. Colorful contemporary judgments by writers such as Suetonius and Tacitus are balanced by judicious character assessments made in the light of modern research. The famous and the infamous―Caligula and Claudius, Trajan and Caracalla―receive their due, while lesser names emerge clearly from the shadows for the first time.

In addition to timelines detailing major events, each emperor is introduced by a coin portrait, a bust, and a datafile listing key information, such as name at birth, full imperial titles, and place and manner of death.

111 color, 217 b&w

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thames & Hudson; 1st edition (May 1, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0500289891
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0500289891
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.85 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.7 x 0.6 x 10.1 inches
Reviewer: Mark Johnson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very informative and descriptive
Review: A high quality academic book on the lives of the Roman emperors

Reviewer: Pamela
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very Interesting
Review: This is a great book with a lot of information but not too much to overwhelm. It's entertaining and enlightening. I appreciate how the format.

Reviewer: M. A. Treu
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Classy publication; well done reference work.
Review: The publishers, Thames and Hudson, have produced a fine example of the bookmaker's art. A clean, crisp reference work loaded with names, dates, places, and 328 illustrations including color-coded maps, depicting imperial Rome and its emperors.Each of the 80 emperors who ruled Rome, from Augustus (31 BC-96 AD) to the abdication of 16-year-old Romulus Augustulus, in 476 AD, is described and depicted.Each section begins with a medalian containing a drawing of the subject emperor based upon his surviving coin portraits. In addition, there are many photograhps of statues and busts, to give the reader a good look at the men who ruled Rome. Women who supported and in some cases ruled them, are also included.There is a ton of information in this book.The pleasurable tactile sensations associated with holding and maniplulating a finely wrought tome are an integral part of reading a book -- as opposed to reading a computer screen or skywriting, which are devoid of tactile pleasures -- and this book rests comfortably in the hands.Sturdy, navy blue cloth cover-boards, with a gold publisher's logo on the front cover, and gold lettering on the spine, all wrapped up in an attractive dust jacket, make this book a treat to the eyes, as well as to the touch. And, as befits a reference book intended for much using and perusing, the pages are made of thich, smooth, sturdy, stock.All in all, an afternoon spent in the company of this book could surely be a positive experience for anyone; in fact, lessons could be learned if one isn't careful.

Reviewer: Justin Ratcliff
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good stuff
Review: This book is great either as refresher material, companion to more in depth histories, or something to make you look deeper to your friends and potential sexual conquests. I bought it for all the pretty pictures, and because I'd just finished the Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire by (Sir?) Edward Gibbon. The latter being an incredibly dense, though enjoyable read. I wanted something light, colorful, and quick to read. Not to mention it's really easy to forget if Nero came before or after Caligula, and whether or not Probus was a tyrant or just misunderstood (possibly only by me). This book, as it turns out, goes out of its way to be as objective as possible. A lot of the judgments passed down through history ma in fact have been incredibly biased by Republicans (NOT the GOP) and Christians alike. For instance Constantine has always been portrayed as some saintly virtuous hero, when in fact he was a scheming back-stabber looking to get all of the Roman Empire under his banner no mater what the cost. Turn the other cheek indeed. Also it gives the true account of the life of Commodus that Hollywood did such an extravagant job of getting wrong in the movie Gladiator. At any rate, this book was pretty good, and offered several hours of entertainment. I would recommend it most to someone who is curious about ancient Rome, but not yet willing to delve into the dusty old tomes of Roman history. If you like this book, you should definitely check out the saga that Colleen McCullough wrote about a decade or so ago. They're truly excellent, and take place at the end of the Republic.

Reviewer: James Yanni
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very thorough and surprisingly readable.
Review: This book gives a very thorough, surprisingly readable and commendably balanced look at the succession of Roman emperors from Augustus through Romulus Augustulus. The subject may be considered rather dry for most readers, and I won't claim that someone not inherently interested in the subject matter could find themselves captivated by this book, but for a reader who has voluntarily chosen to read up on the subject, this book does a very good job of keeping the information coming at a pace that is slow enough to be comprehensible but fast enough to avoid tedium.It is also true that the author does a fine job of identifying bias in the reports of the most common sources of this history, so that this book provides a history that acknowledges the reports of both pagan and Christian historians, but does not blindly accept what either group has to say about emperors who they either demonize or deify. This is a very worthwhile practice, and so overall the book is a very helpful primer for a novice on the subject.

Reviewer: Tim Keo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fantastic Roman History
Review: This is a great reference for the Western Roman Emperors (does not include the “Byzantine” emperors

Reviewer: Terry Ostos
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellant, detailed and thorough coverage of all the Roman emperors.
Review: My review title pretty much says it all. Especially interesting was the family information as well as the timelines, maps and illustrations (all in a nutshell). I had read several full-lenth historical biographies trying to trace the family connections. Marriages were arranged often for political or inheritance purposes and there was a lot of inbreeding of a small social class. Notable was Tiberius (stepson of Augustus) who was ordered to divorce his dearly loved first wife to marry Augustus' daughter (something he never really got over). Also shorter male lifespans resulted in multiple remarriages further complicating things. This book is amazingly concise AND complete for it's size and also manages to include sketches of other prominant people of the day as well as each emperor's most famous construction projects.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very interesting
Review: My mind was totally blown by all the information. Loved the pictures and the side notes. It's a nice read but could read better.

Reviewer: Lucca Canizela De Camargo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Very informative book!

Reviewer: g2333
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Eccellente pubblicazione, utile per lettura, consultazione e studio. Autori attenti alle fonti e limpidi nella rendicontazione. Uno strumento prezioso, consigliato a chiunque abbia interesse per la storia.

Reviewer: C. Wright
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: For any non-expert wanting a concise, readable and comprehensive guide to the emperors, I don't see how this could be bettered. It does exactly what its title promises.Having watched the recent TV re-run of "I Claudius", I decided I needed the real facts, as opposed to what was, after all, a novel adapted for TV. Having scanned Amazon's many offerings, I went for this book and also Suetonius "12 Caesars".Tip - if you are a non-expert wanting the facts (as far as we can know them), choose Scarre. Suetonius is great as a classic work, and you should read it, but for an unbiased modern view, and a beautiful book to look at as well, Scarre's book is a winner.Particularly good is the explanation of the Emperors' titles, and the many special features on various buildings, military campaigns, etc.A beautiful and informative book, which you will refer to again & again after your first read.

Reviewer: Dr. med. Christian Renner
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Naturally it is not going too deep, but this work provides a very good overview, timeline and summary of the history of the Roman Emperors. Good look and feel, reading in this book is fun. Definitely a recommendation!

Reviewer: ともぱぱ
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: 本作は、ローマ帝国初代皇帝アウグストゥスからテオドシウス帝まで、そして帝国の東西分裂後は西ローマ帝国の歴代皇帝を最後の皇帝ロムルス・アウグストゥスまでの全皇帝を採り上げ、各皇帝の治世・事業（特に建築・軍事）・個性・素顔（彫像の写真を多く収録）を、エピソードを交えて１冊で紹介します。日本語版であるローマ皇帝歴代誌の原著が本作で、日本語版と比べるとかなり大型本です。塩野七生氏の「ローマ人の物語」第６巻以降を１冊に凝縮し、それでいて各皇帝の事績の紹介が雑になっていない点が立派（もっともコンスタンティヌス帝の後はかなり駆け足になりますが）。その「ローマ人の物語」とは記述が異なる箇所も散見されますが（例えばコモドゥス帝は死の直前に何を企んでいたか等）、古代史の解釈は人によって違うのも当然。塩野氏とは異なる角度でローマ帝国史を通覧できます。そして、「ローマ人の物語」シリーズが頭に入っている人は、是非英語でこの本を読み通してみて下さい。知らない単語が出てきても、ああこれは背教者だな、といった具合に検討がつくので、それほど読みづらさを感じないと思います。ケンブリッジ大学のローマ史の泰斗である著者の格調の高い英文を味わって下さい。地図等カラー印刷の多い図版の豊富さも圧倒的。訳に一部問題もありますが、上記日本語版も英語で読み進む参考になるでしょう。