Library Catalog
On the Shelf at CCBC Libraries
Emperor of Rome by
In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome, from its slightly shabby Iron Age origins to its reign as the undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean. Now, drawing on more than thirty years of teaching and writing about Roman history, Beard turns to the emperors who ruled the Roman Empire, beginning with Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) and taking us through the nearly three centuries--and some thirty emperors--that separate him from the boy-king Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Yet Emperor of Rome is not your typical chronological account of Roman rulers, one emperor after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Instead, Beard asks different, often larger and more probing questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? What kind of jokes did Augustus tell? And for that matter, what really happened, for example, between the emperor Hadrian and his beloved Antinous? Effortlessly combining the epic with the quotidian, Beard tracks the emperor down at home, at the races, on his travels, even on his way to heaven. Along the way, Beard explores Roman fictions of imperial power, overturning many of the assumptions that we hold as gospel, not the least of them the perception that emperors one and all were orchestrators of extreme brutality and cruelty. Here Beard introduces us to the emperor's wives and lovers, rivals and slaves, court jesters and soldiers, and the ordinary people who pressed begging letters into his hand--whose chamber pot disputes were adjudicated by Augustus, and whose budgets were approved by Vespasian, himself the son of a tax collector. With its finely nuanced portrayal of sex, class, and politics, Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman fantasies (and our own) about what it was to be Roman at its richest, most luxurious, most extreme, most powerful, and most deadly, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before.
Call Number: DG274 .B43 2023
The World of Ancient Rome by
This study of Ancient Rome offers a fascinating glimpse of what Roman society was like--from fashion, to food, to politics and recreation--gathered from literary works, art, and archaeological remains.While the political history and prominent figures of Ancient Rome are well known, accounts of daily life in that time and place often remain untold. This fascinating encyclopedia explores this period from a social and cultural perspective, digging into the day-to-day activities of how Romans dressed, what they ate, how they worked, and what they did for fun.Drawing from recent archaeological evidence, author James W. Ermatinger explores the everyday lives of Roman citizens of all levels and classes. This book is organized into ten sections: art, economics, family, fashion, food, housing, politics, recreation, religion, and science. Each section contains more than two dozen entries that illuminate such topics as slavery as a social movement; the menus of peasants, slaves, and the elite; and the science and engineering solutions that became harbingers for today's technology. The work contains a selection of primary documents as well as a bibliography of print and Internet resources.
Call Number: DG77 .E77 2015
Ancient Rome by
"Two thousand years ago, Rome was the center of the civilized world and the most powerful city-state in existence. At its height, the influence of the Roman empire spanned from Scotland to Spain to Syria. Today's world has been largely influenced by ancient Rome as well: Democratic governments, modern literature and films, architecture and even professional football owe something of a debt to the ancient Romans."--publisher's description.
Call Number: DG209 .M368 2012
Ancient Rome by Call Number: DG209 .A55 2011
Podcasts
Streaming Video
- Ancient RomeAt its zenith, the Roman Empire included North Africa, Spain, France, and Britain. The wealth that these conquests generated allowed Roman citizens to live in a sumptuous world of beautifully decorated homes and opulent cities. In this program, scholars discuss Roman unification of Europe, Roman culture and institutions, and the family structure. The role of the army as a major force in Roman society and politics, along with its military structure and tactics, are discussed. The Christianization of Rome and the enduring legacy of Roman Law and institutions in Western government today are also analyzed. 3-D re-creations of the Coliseum and Pompeii allow students to see Rome as it was before the empire collapsed. (49 minutes)
Websites
- Romansfrom BBC History
Online From CCBC Libraries
Daily Life of Women in Ancient Rome by
This book provides an invaluable introduction to the social, economic, and legal status of women in ancient Rome.Daily Life of Women in Ancient Rome is an invaluable introduction to the lives of women in the late Roman Republic and first three centuries of the Roman Empire. Arranged chronologically and thematically, it examines how Roman women were born, educated, married, and active in economic, social, public, and religious life, as well as how they were commemorated and honored after death. Though they were excluded from formal public and military offices, wealthy Roman women participated in public life as benefactors and in religious life as priestesses. The book also acknowledges the status and occupations of women taking part in public life as textile producers, retail workers, and agricultural laborers, as well as enslaved women.The book provides a thorough introduction to the social history of women in the Roman world and gives students and aspiring scholars references to current scholarship and to primary literary and documentary sources, including collected sources in translation.
Publication Date: 2022-03-22
The World of Ancient Rome by
This study of Ancient Rome offers a fascinating glimpse of what Roman society was like--from fashion, to food, to politics and recreation--gathered from literary works, art, and archaeological remains. While the political history and prominent figures of Ancient Rome are well known, accounts of daily life in that time and place often remain untold. This fascinating encyclopedia explores this period from a social and cultural perspective, digging into the day-to-day activities of how Romans dressed, what they ate, how they worked, and what they did for fun. Drawing from recent archaeological evidence, author James W. Ermatinger explores the everyday lives of Roman citizens of all levels and classes. This book is organized into ten sections: art, economics, family, fashion, food, housing, politics, recreation, religion, and science. Each section contains more than two dozen entries that illuminate such topics as slavery as a social movement; the menus of peasants, slaves, and the elite; and the science and engineering solutions that became harbingers for today's technology. The work contains a selection of primary documents as well as a bibliography of print and Internet resources. Focuses on daily life rather than dates and wars, making for engaging content for all readers Offers a bibliography of important works as well as online and print resources for further reading Includes coverage of a breadth of topics ranging from performing arts to town planning and military uniforms to banquets Features approximately 250 entries with topics arranged alphabetically Connects to national standards for world history
Publication Date: 2015
Artifacts from Ancient Rome by
When Roman objects and artifacts are properly analyzed, they serve as valuable primary sources for learning about ancient history. This book provides the guidance and relevant historical context students need to see relics as evidence of long-past events and society. Artifacts from Ancient Rome is a unique social history that explores major aspects of daily life in a long-ago era via images of physical objects and historical information about these items. This book also affords "hands-on training" on how to approach primary sources. The author_a historian also trained as an archaeologist_begins by explaining the concept of using artifacts to understand and "see" the past and providing a primer for effectively analyzing artifacts. Entries on the artifacts follow, with each containing an introduction, a description of the artifact, an explanation of its significance, and a list of further sources of information. Readers of the book will not only gain a composite impression of daily life in ancient Rome through the study of artifacts from domestic life, religion, war, transportation, entertainment, and more, but will also learn how to best understand and analyze primary sources for learning. Presents images of artifacts, relevant primary sources, and detailed explanations of each item's historical context together in a single resource, making the information conveniently accessible to both students and general readers Provides students with the opportunity to work with, analyze, and interpret both artifacts and primary sources, making the book an excellent complement to curricula that are increasing their focus on the use of primary sources of all types Allows readers to piece together an overall impression of Roman life and society through artifacts that range from a legionary weapon and a medical scalpel to a wax tablet for writing, a bread oven, and a sundial
Publication Date: 2014
Ancient Rome by
Ancient Rome masterfully synthesizes the vast period from the second millennium BCE to the sixth century CE, carrying readers through the succession of fateful steps and agonizing crises that marked Roman evolution from an early village settlement to the capital of an extraordinary realm extending from northern Britain to the deserts of Arabia. A host of world-famous figures come to life in these pages, including Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Augustus, Livia, Cicero, Nero, Hadrian, Diocletian, Constantine, Justinian, and Theodora. Filled with chilling narratives of violence, lust, and political expediency, this book not only describes empire-shaping political and military events but also treats social and cultural developments as integral to Roman history. William E. Dunstan highlights such key topics as the physical environment, women, law, the roles of slaves and freedmen, the plight of unprivileged free people, the composition and power of the ruling class, education, popular entertainment, food and clothing, marriage and divorce, sex, death and burial, finance and trade, scientific and medical achievements, religious institutions and practices, and artistic and literary masterpieces. All readers interested in the classical world will find this a fascinating and compelling history.
Publication Date: 2010
Databases
- ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Articles on any subject. This is a good place to start.
- World History This link opens in a new window
Articles, essays, and primary sources on the history of the world.
