The Romans: New Perspectives

(Hardback)

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So many myths and legends. So many senators and Caesars. So many documents, archaeological finds, movie-made misconceptions, and scholarly histories. With so much information available on the civilization of ancient Rome, and more discoveries happening all the time, where do you start A century ago, a coin honoring a previously unknown Roman emperor, Domitianus, was unearthed in France, and dismissed as a fake. In 2004, a discovery of 5,000 such coins near Oxford restored Domitianus to history. It was a stunning reminder that, to archaeologists and historians, the book on the past is never fully closed. The Romans: New Perspectives is the ideal starting point for investigating this extraordinary civilization-its remarkable rise and decline, the scope of its power and wealth, the details of everyday life for its people, and its signature contributions to human culture (food, architecture, government, public works, art, and more). The Romans takes readers from the establishment of the monarchy (circa 753 BCE) through the rise of the republic (circa 509 BCE), the imperial period, and ultimately to the fall of the empire and the coronation of the barbarian king Odoacer. It is an engaging account of current thinking on Roman life and culture informed by a number of dramatic recent discoveries. The book provides a coherent introduction to the field, while pointing the way toward further reading on specific topics and personalities.

Author Bio

Kevin McGeough is assistant professor of archaeology at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.