A History of Rome, Volume 1

A History of Rome is the story of a tiny market town on the Tiber, its rise to world domination, and then its slow, terrible plunge to utter ruin. It is the single greatest event in all human history. Discover the fascinating origin of Rome and its mysterious Etruscan connections, its first faltering steps toward republican government, and its methodical subjugation of surrounding tribes. Slowly, the puritanical Roman Republic asserts control over all of Italy and in the process forges a political unity which proves enduring. That unity is sorely tested as Rome comes into conflict with Carthage and Hannibal, a horrifying ordeal which alters world history for all time. A resurgent Rome is next drawn into the intrigues of the eastern Mediterranean, finally conquering the Greek speaking world...only to end up surrendering itself to a seductive, decadent Hellenistic culture. A century of politcal tension and civil strife ensues. Follow the rise of powerful men like the brothers Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cicero and the greatest Roman of them all - Julius Caesar.

©2001 Audio Connoisseur

Fair intro

This is a pretty fair introduction to Roman history, and the narrator is excellent. There are however numerous clicks and other noises throughout the recording. They are in the background and more an annoyance than anything else.

Impressive

Professor Cyril Edward Robinson (1884-1981) is a well known classical historian and author of many books on ancient Greece and Rome. In this book Robinson provides an introduction to ancient Roman history. The book covers the history from the beginning of Roman history around 700 B.C. and end just before the final chaos. The main emphasis of the book is on the last two centuries of the Republic to 264 B.C... The author skims over the problems of early Roman history and the complexities and difficulties that had bearing on later developments.

It appears that Robinson maintained a high level of accuracy and provided excellent footnotes and documentation. The book is extremely well written. Robinson interprets the character of the outstanding figures on strictly conventional lines. The simplicity of his narrative is easy to read and his proper British grammar a delight to behold. Robinson has a lively style with an ear for a good phrase, and a sense of the drama of his subjects. He conveys his own enthusiasm of the subject to his readers.

It is a pleasure to listen to Charlton griffin’s highly trained voice of a British stage actor. I believe he enhances the will written text and the audio book and enjoyable listen.

A History of Rome, Volume 1

A very detailed account of early Rome. Great book.

A good listen.

This book is a fascinating compilation of Roman history that leads one through the history and culture of the most powerful civilization that ever existed. The diction by the narrator is clear and interesting, making listening easy. Recommended both to students of history as well as to those who know little about the era.

Good and brief, very dense

I bought A History of Rome because I found I needed a primer before getting full value from Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The latter starts at about 200 AD and makes many references to the times before, so it's very valuable to have at least a brief understanding of the material covered here.

Rather than just getting through it quickly and then returning to Gibbons, I find myself with many more questions about, and a strong interest in, the beginning of the Empire. Especially the description of the times when Rome was a mere city state among others, is fascinating. One gets a sense of a world with much space between budding cultures and peoples, a world where borders and identities were not yet fixed and where history could be changed by the fortunes of a brief moment.

Rome suffered huge, crippling, and seemingly fatal blows to her power on her way up, and sometimes could easily have been destroyed by a resolute opponent, such as the Cimbri. this barbarian tribe more or less wiped out Rome's army about 105 BC. At that point, had the Cimbri gone south, they could have taken all of the peninsula easily. but they were more interested in Spain, and so went west. And Rome had time to recuperate, and was ultimately victorious. Fascinating story. And there are many more like it.

I recommend this fascinating tome to anybody interested in ancient history. Do not miss Gibbons though.