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Ancient Rome  By  cover art

Ancient Rome

By: Thomas R. Martin
Narrated by: John Lescault
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Publisher's summary

With commanding skill, Thomas R. Martin tells the remarkable and dramatic story of how a tiny, poor, and threatened settlement grew to become, during its height, the dominant power in the Mediterranean world for 500 years. Encompassing the period from Rome's founding in the eighth century BC through Justinian's rule in the sixth century AD, he offers a distinctive perspective on the Romans and their civilization by employing fundamental Roman values as a lens through which to view both their rise and spectacular fall.

Interweaving social, political, religious, and cultural history, Martin interprets the successes and failures of the Romans in war, political organization, quest for personal status, and in the integration of religious beliefs and practices with government. He focuses on the central role of social and moral values in determining individual conduct as well as decisions of state, from monarchy to republic to empire. Striving to reconstruct ancient history from the ground up, he includes frequent references to ancient texts and authors, encouraging readers to return to the primary sources.

Comprehensive, concise, and accessible, this masterful account provides a unique window into Rome and its changing fortune.

©2018 Thomas R. Martin (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Ancient Rome

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Great review and understanding of Christianity

I have Found it difficult to understand how the Roman Empire disintegrated and moved over into the Christian role.

How the invasion of the barbarians change the world in Europe

I found that this book gave me clear dating and how years rolled by and what happened during these different epochs

Spacestationark

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Familiar story in new perspective

I have listened to a couple dozen audiobooks about the history of Rome. This follows the same storyline, naturally. The perspective is in the telling. If you love the Rome of the ancient world, you'll like this. It's a little better than four stars.

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fails the Turin test

This book sounds like its being read by a computer, the story was interesting but such a wooden delivery made it hard to enjoy.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good short read, narrated poorly

The text of this book is very solid, but the reader is quite monotone and difficult to listen to for long stretches

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2 people found this helpful

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Excellent narrator

This is a great read of what seems to be a outstanding college term paper. History students should love this work but for everyone else, maybe not so much.

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2 people found this helpful

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A superb, concise history of Rome

Super-focused, keeps the information not only relevant, but makes key developments understandable by presenting the cause and effect relations. Explains fundamental shifts in values, beliefs, and so on in ancient Rome. All to-the-point, clearly written and easy to follow. Excellent reader, too. Highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

I wish I knew more about this fascinating topic.

If I knew more about the history of Rome, I would be in a better position to rate this book. Overall, I see no reason to doubt any of the observations.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • 01-12-21

Great book

Just enough detail without getting bogged down in minutiae. Well paced and very insightful. Great

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1 person found this helpful

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Good survey

Tough subject to cover in a single volume. Martin emphasises the interaction Rome has with surrounding peoples (subjugation, language, laws, infrastructure, religion, etc).

Highlights leaders that had impact (positive and negative) instead of a catalog. Good introduction to the subject

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1 person found this helpful

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Very good summary of Rome's history

Book delves more extensively into the cultural and social evolution of Rome and lightly on historical facts, as such it is a good primer to move afterwards to a more extensive history of Rome. Reader's Latin is awful, what is not good for a history of Rome.

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