A History of Ancient Rome in 100 Lives

Philip Matyszak, Joanne Berry

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN: 9780500778173
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Roman Ancient History
• Index: History

The Roman empire witnessed a huge diversity of human experience over its history. At its pinnacle, it exerted its rule across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, from Britannia to the Black Sea. In this collection of 100 lives, Philip Matyszak and Joanne Berry give voice not only to famed rulers and generals whose names and deeds have been enshrined in classical texts but also to the ordinary citizens centurions, scholars, Christian martyrs and civil servants who made up the fabric of Roman society. The biographies of these individuals, whose stories range from the happy and uneventful to the tragic and dramatic, are pieced together from ancient art, artefacts and myths. Matyszak and Berry illuminate the sometimes surprising exploits of Romes women, such as Amazonia, a sword-swinging gladiator, and Metila, a priestess of the cult of Cymbele. Romans of every class and creed are represented, from Faustulus, a shepherd said to have adopted the infant Romulus and Remus, to the poet Virgil, whose words still echo down the ages. Each of these lives forms part of a larger picture, together making up a rich mosaic that gives us a glimpse of what it meant to be a Roman.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• About the Authors
• Other Titles of Interest
• Contents
• Introduction: Portrait of a People 300–88 BC
• Part 1: Royal Subjects to Republican Citizens 753–300 BC
• Part 2: From Italians to Romans 300–88 BC
• Part 3: Life in Troubled Times 88 BC–AD 14
• Part 4: Romans and Caesars AD 14–75
• Part 5: Citizens of the Empire AD 75–200
• Part 6: Decline and Fall AD 200–476
• List of Emperors
• Sources of Quotations
• Further Reading
• Sources of Illustrations
• Index
• Copyright