The Sons of Caesar
Imperial Rome's First Dynasty
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
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نقد و بررسی
June 12, 2006
When Rome became a republic in 509 BC, its citizens so deplored the idea of monarchy they would not even allow a foreign king into the city. Despite such thinking, the Republic's institutions were vulnerable to the power, money and influence of its aristocracy. Matyszak's book is an engrossing and expertly assembled presentation of Rome's first families, the Julio-Claudian line of leaders whose example, Matyszak argues, "continues to convince many that an effective autocracy is superior to a dysfunctional democracy." Two of Matyszak's main reasons for re-examining this oft-explored era are to overturn common myths, including the widely-accepted, "facile" explanation for Rome's downfall-strain caused by expansion and military campaigns-and to prove that empire is not always a dirty word. Matyszak follows the slow transformation of a republican government into an expansive imperial power, beginning with the awkward reconciliation between Julius Caesar's declaration of dictatorship and the existing Roman constitution, and continuing in small but significant steps amid civil wars and familial infighting. His profiles, from Julius to Nero, are fresh looks at characters marred by caricature and misconception, and his analysis of Rome's transformation is both instructive and precient, and will give those who employ the term "empire" in contemporary public dialogue much to consider. 90 illustrations.
June 15, 2006
Modern historians like Matyszak ("Chronicle of the Roman Republic") are not charmed by the stories handed down by the ancient historians. They can identify a ruthlessness in rulers unseen by earlier generations unable to reflect on the 20th century. Matyszak presents a worthy analysis of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, during which six men -Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius Caligula, Claudius, and Nero -ruled over a period of more than a century. In his readable narrative, he emphasizes Caesar and Augustus's unprecedented brutality in establishing their rule, noting that not even Caligula's body count matched their own. Matyszak's distrust of Tacitus is particularly refreshing; he posits that Tiberius's competence as a ruler has not been adequately recognized because there has not been enough analysis of Tacitus's own motives. The evolution of the Roman Empire and the ways in which it is interwoven with the Julio-Claudian family is an old but fascinating theme. Despite its lack of footnotes, this book is an interesting exercise in historiography; recommended for public and academic libraries. (Illustrations not seen.)" -Clay Williams, Hunter Coll. Lib., New York"
Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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