Middle Empire book recommednations?

[5th Lieutenant]

I was hoping one of the RS 2 team or some one else here might be able to sugggest a good history of Rome and the Empire from Vespasian to Commodus. I have several on the Republic and Early Empire and Goldworthy's Fall of the West but very little in the middle / late 1st to to 3rd Centuries AD.

Any suggestions welcome

[rory o'kane]

Commodus wasn't third century, but never mind. I assume you want then the Principate? Are you only interested in the Army or the Roman empire as a whole?

[5th Lieutenant]

I named Commodus as it is from the end of his reign that many of the decline era books begin, though obviously you're correct in that he's not 3rd Century.

I have 4 of Goldsworthy's books including The Roman Army at War, Tom Holland's Rubicon and various others but not much on either the Empire in general or the Army and its campaigns in particular. I see various biographies of Vespasian, Trajan and Hadrian but have not seen a good equivilent to Goldsworthy or Holland on this particular period.

[rory o'kane]

Damn, you're right, there just doesn't appear to be one like 'em.

[5th Lieutenant]

Does seem a strange gap - virtually nothing from AD '69 to the Gothic Wars except the 'Clash of Civilisations' about Rome and Jerusalem. Will keep digging...

[ray243]

There are quite a few actually. Aurelian and the Third century by Alaric Watson 2004, Pat Southern's The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine (414), Cambridge Ancient History Vol 11 and 12.

If you can read German, you might want to try Die Zeit Der SoldatenKaiser by Klas Peter-Johne (2008).

Also, you might find more books if you look at the citation of Goldsworthy's book.

EDIT: You can also read up on the Roman Emperors during this time on this site.

http://www.roman-emperors.org/impindex.htm

[5th Lieutenant]

Cheers Ray. They'e a little later than I was really hoping. The 'gap' seems to be from Nero to the 3rd Century beyond biographies or some of the Osprey series.

Unfortunately I can't read German

[ray243]

Cheers Ray. They'e a little later than I was really hoping. The 'gap' seems to be from Nero to the 3rd Century beyond biographies or some of the Osprey series.

Unfortunately I can't read German

Hmm, then I would strongly recommend Cambridge Ancient History vol 11 as it deals with the time period from 70 AD to 192 AD. If you want to read up on the Roman army during this period, I would suggest Yann Le Bohec's The Imperial Roman army.

There are actually quite a few books that deals with the high Empire period, just that many of the books are not written for the general public.

P.S. You can also find more books on the Roman Emperors by going to the link at Roman-Emperors.org and find the sources used by the writers down there.

[rory o'kane]

Slightly tangental, but REALLY worth a read is "The Empire Stops Here" by Phillip Parker. He travels, writing as he goes along Rome's frontier in a clockwise direction, starting in Northern Britain with the two walls, then follows the Limes Germanicus all the way down to the Black Sea, popping into Dacia en-route, then down Rome's eastern border, to the Red Sea. He then explores the southern limits of Rome's hold in Egypt, and then goes along through Cyrenaica and Tripolitania then to Numidia and Mauretania. He writes about how the Romans got there, what they did there, when they left, and what's still there, as well as any other significant events that happened there. It's an absolutely epic read. The books chapters are each devoted to a single stretch of the Frontier, with loads of maps and the like. It's a seriously epic read.
Here's the Amazon link. It's seriously the best book on Rome that I've read that wasn't written by Goldsworthy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Stops.../dp/0224077880

[Irishguy]

goldsworthy is the mother (father xD) of all roman bookwriters... I was standing in the bookshop in Utrecht at the roman history section, and what do you know? 70% Goldsworthy! (it wasn't a large history section though....)
I'm reading a good book on augustus at the moment.... forgot the writer

PS: Anthony Everitt. that's the name

[ray243]

goldsworthy is the mother (father xD) of all roman bookwriters... I was standing in the bookshop in Utrecht at the roman history section, and what do you know? 70% Goldsworthy! (it wasn't a large history section though....)
I'm reading a good book on augustus at the moment.... forgot the writer

PS: Anthony Everitt. that's the name

Meh, that's because most of Goldsworthy's books are targeted towards the causal readers, and as a result of this, books stores have a tendency to stock his books over others.

In my opinion, AHM Jones will be a far better candidate for the title of the father modern History bookwriters.

[PSEUDO ROMANUS]

Meh, that's because most of Goldsworthy's books are targeted towards the causal readers, and as a result of this, books stores have a tendency to stock his books over others.

In my opinion, AHM Jones will be a far better candidate for the title of the father modern History bookwriters.

I agree with you on AHM Jones. His work is amazingly good, in my opinion at least, though it is focused on the late Roman period.

[5th Lieutenant]

Thanks all for their suggestions. Rory, that book looks very interesting, I'll add that to the Rome: A Biography I was going to buy before I'm there in September.

Everitt also looks worthwhile, especially his Hadrian, but though I've heard of Jones I have not seen really looked in to his stuff becasue of the date.


EDIT: 2 interesting maps I came across for using with RS

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Setting...tury%20Map.htm

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...re_125.svg.png

[ray243]

Thanks all for their suggestions. Rory, that book looks very interesting, I'll add that to the Rome: A Biography I was going to buy before I'm there in September.

Everitt also looks worthwhile, especially his Hadrian, but though I've heard of Jones I have not seen really looked in to his stuff becasue of the date.

While Jones is dated in some ways, a huge amount of the information are still accurate and very well reasoned. After all, Jones is heavily quoted by GoldsWorthy, Heather and almost every other Roman historians that talks about the later Roman Empire.

Oh ya, I forget to mention 3 books that deals on the time period you are talking about.

There is Nerva and the Roman Succession Crisis AD 96-99 by John D. Grainger, Vespasian by Barbara Levick and Year of the Four Emperors 3rd Edition by Kenneth Wellesley.

Tell me if you need any other book recomendations. Those 3 books are all part Routhledge's Roman Imperial Biographies series.

[rory o'kane]

Ah, don't knock Foyles! Only place in London I could actually get a bloody copy of Osprey's Praetorian Guard book!

[5th Lieutenant]

That's true.

Rory, have you been to Motor Books in Cecil Court? More modern but they have some medieval and ancient stuff.

http://www.motorbooks.co.uk/