Book Description
Spanning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people.
Weaving history, legend, and new archaeological discoveries into a spellbinding narrative, critically acclaimed novelist Steven Saylor gives new life to the drama of the city’s first thousand years — from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome’s astonishing ascent to become the capitol of the most powerful empire in history. Roma recounts the tragedy of the hero-traitor Coriolanus, the capture of the city by the Gauls, the invasion of Hannibal, the bitter political struggles of the patricians and plebeians, and the ultimate death of Rome’s republic with the triumph, and assassination, of Julius Caesar.
Witnessing this history, and sometimes playing key roles, are the descendents of two of Rome’s first families, the Potitius and Pinarius clans: One is the confidant of Romulus. One is born a slave and tempts a Vestal virgin to break her vows. One becomes a mass murderer. And one becomes the heir of Julius Caesar. Linking the generations is a
mysterious talisman as ancient as the city itself.
Epic in every sense of the word, Roma is a panoramic historical saga and Saylor’s finest achievement to date.
Customer Reviews:
A great book for the beach or a hammock.......2007-10-01
This is the book I've been waiting for Saylor to write--a book that gives an overview of the Roman Republic. Is it great literature? Probably not. Is it great history? I would have to guess that historians might quibble. But it's a good read--I took it on vacation this summer and it was just perfect.
I think the reviewers who think poorly of this effort may be expecting a different book. I know that I'm getting a dose of general history in a fictional form. I also know that I'm not getting a literal history. I'm just glad to get a general idea of what historical persons lived in what period of Roman history and if I want to learn more there are scholarly books I could read.
I enjoyed the development of family histories here, and I think Saylor is a very clever writer. Relax and enjoy.
Does not do justice to Rome and the Romans.......2007-09-14
This book was an okay read, but is by no means a great work of historical fiction. The biggest problem is that the novel is meant to cover a thousand years of history in six hundred pages, and fails miserably. I myself am quite familiar with the history it covers, but I think that if I were not so conversant with Rome of the BCs I would find this book's way of telling it not only dull (as I did find it) but confusing. The fact is, people in real life do not just happen to review the past fifty years of history with each other every so often, and yet this is what happens again ... and again ... and again. I'd say that there is five times as much historical exposition in dialogue as there is in the narration itself, and it really cries out to be the other way round. Ugh. But the real problem here is that a novel of this length is biting off more than it can chew if it tries to cover a time period of this length and complexity. Saylor would have done better to write three six-hundred-page novels to cover Rome's first thousand years. Compare this with Colleen McCullough's superb Masters of Rome series, for example, each of which in eight hundred pages covers about twenty years of the late Republic, and conveys a real sense of the changes the society of Rome and the lives of the Romans change in that period. That's another thing completely lacking from 'Roma', by the way: Saylor tackles very little of the governmental, societal, and moralistic upheavals that shape the Republic's history, and when he does talk about them it's by and large in those unbearable, droning, boring, lacklustre expositional dialogues.
The frequent faux pas in grammar, spelling, style, etc., do not help either. Read something good instead.
From the fog of pre-history to Augustan times.......2007-09-14
The novel, which I think is the first one to cover such a time span in a single volume, is an excellent introduction to the early history of Rome and the republic, and it gives readers more than just politics, war and conquest. Mr. Saylor skillfully weaves ancient tradition and history into the story of Rome through major events, in eleven chapters.
Almost every chapter contains flash-backs or story-telling about the time span between chapters, thus linking it to the prior one. Well known single events or legends are mixed in, such as what's known as the rape of the Sabine women, the rape of Lucretia, the abduction of Verginia (a major event in itself in the novel), and more.
In the story ending, I smelled faint whiff of a sequel in the offing.
A suggestion: don't read the book to quickly, I liked it better on the second read-through, when I took more time. The prose is uneven in places but soars in others, and the dialogues tend to get a bit stilted. All in all it's a good read indeed.
A helpful graphic matches the family tree to the corresponding chapters, and each chapter is preceded by a map of Rome as it was at the time. In his Author's Note, Mr. Saylor provides a useful bibliography.
Personal review of "Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome".......2007-09-11
This book, just like other Steven Saylor novels, really kept my interest. I finished it in two days. Couldn't stop reading. This one, as usual, is up to his standard of excellent writing. I only hope that Steven keeps writing more novels of Ancient Rome, especially the Goridanus the Finder stories. If you never read the Sub Rosa series, after reading the above mentioned novel, definitely try the others. You'll be glad you did.
A fascinating journey through the history of Rome.......2007-08-29
- This review first appeared in the August 2007 issue of the Historical Novels Review (http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org)-
Steven Saylor, the award-winning mystery writer of the Roma Sub Rosa series, undertakes the multigenerational historical saga in his latest novel ROMA. Pioneered by the late James Michener and current purview of novelist Edward Rutherford, Saylor's entry into the genre is a noteworthy one. With his meticulous knowledge of ancient Rome, the subject matter seems a perfect match for someone of his impressive talent---a centuries-long journey from the founding of Rome to the rise and fall of the Republic and the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Saylor frames his compelling, fast-moving narrative in elegant prose, using the device of a fictional family whose fates are closely interwoven with the vicissitudes and fortunes of the city. The cast is large and varied, beginning with a salt trader's daughter in 1000 BC who receives a mysterious gold talisman that will become a family heirloom. Through the eyes of her descendants, the Potitius family, we witness the city's founding by Romulus and Remus, the struggles and intrigues of plebeians and patricians, Hannibal's invasion, a mass murderer's scheme to wipe out a competing dynasty, a vestal virgin's sacrifice, and the tragic attempt of two sibling politicians to revolutionize Roman society. Throughout we are regaled with the aspirations, delusions, brutal expediencies and hunger for immortality that permeated the struggle to build what arguably became history's most powerful empire.
Readers seeking a central character to identify with may be thwarted by the swift passage of years and events; those who persist will find themselves in awe of Saylor's command of his sprawling storyline, his penchant for detail, as well as his evident passion for what is truly his book's only central character--Rome herself, a city whose complex grandeur and enigmatic allure continue to entice our collective imagination.
Book Description
As Adrian Goldsworthy writes in the introduction to this book, “in his fifty-six years, Caesar was at times many things, including a fugitive, prisoner, rising politician, army leader, legal advocate, rebel, dictator . . . as well as husband, father, lover and adulterer.” In this landmark biography, Goldsworthy examines all of these roles and places his subject firmly within the context of Roman society in the first century B.C.
Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Caesar’s life from birth through assassination, Goldsworthy covers not only Caesar’s accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters during which he was high priest of an exotic cult, captive of pirates, seducer not only of Cleopatra but also of the wives of his two main political rivals, and rebel condemned by his own country. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full complexity of Caesar’s character and shows why his political and military leadership continues to resonate some two thousand years later.
Customer Reviews:
Where is Caesar when we need him today?.......2007-09-19
What a great read! I took this to the beach over the summer, and enjoyed it thoroughly. How easy it is for us in our "modern world" to become numb to the fact that understanding the past gives us invaluable perspective on the present. How would Caesar fare up in debate with Obama and Rudy? That would be worthy of TV ratings for sure.
Caesar: Hero or Villain?.......2007-09-16
Caius Julius Caesar was a polarizing figure in his own day and probably could be considered one today as well. Adrian Goldsworthy's Caesar: Life of a Colossus provides a balanced, detailed, and highly readable biography of one of the most important figures in history. Rather than summarize and critique Goldsworthy's book, this review will examine the questions: Why was Caesar such a divisive figure? and On balance, was he a hero or a villain?
Let's try to summarize what his detractors and supporters might have said.
His detractors might have said:
1. Caesar destroyed the Roman Republic by seizing power in the Civil War.
2. He started the Civil War when he crossed the Rubicon and invaded Italy with the goal of establishing himself in a position of absolute power.
3. He slaughtered thousands in the Gallic and Civil Wars.
4. Throughout his career, he sought the support of the plebs in a populist and demagogic manner as a means of reaching his goal of absolute power.
His supporters might have said:
1. The Republic had become increasingly dysfunctional since the time of the Gracchi (133 BC). Consuls were murdered by members of the Senate. The consulship had all too frequently been filled based on the use or threat of military power.
2. The Republic with its multiple magistracies elected annually was fine for the Roman City State for which it was created but was an ineffective governmental structure for ruling a vast empire.
3. As a military commander, Caesar often sought peaceful settlements in order to avoid combat. In this, he was often successful in the Gallic War. His failure to peacefully resolve the Civil War was largely due to Pompey's refusal to negotiate.
4. Caesar showed a degree of clemency for defeated enemies that was uncharacteristic of his era. After the Civil War, Caesar, unlike Sulla, did not institute mass proscriptions and seizures of property. Had Caesar lost the Civil War, his adversary, Pompey, would most likely not have been so forgiving.
5. Once he had attained power, Caesar's laws and policies were generally wise. For the most part, his enemies opposed them not on principle but because Caesar had proposed and implemented them outside of the established legislative process.
6. Caesar's enemies were a small group of aristocrats who sought to maintain their exclusive hold on power and feared that Caesar would break that hold.
7. Caesar invaded Italy only after this cabal sought to end his career by denying him the right to stand as a candidate for the consulship.
Well, I guess I have now revealed my own position on Caesar, but don't take my word for it. Read Goldsworthy's book and draw your own conclusion.
Exceptional biography of the First Citizen of Rome.......2007-09-16
Caesar's Rome was a place where political factions seemed to be at constant war with each other. It's a wonder that the Republic of Rome survived as long as it did considering all of the assassinations, battles and debates that raged within the Republic that based its society on a vague set of rules and a very loosely structured bureaucracy which would use gangs as well as violence to persuade lawmakers to do "the right thing".
Goldsworthy provides us with information about what is known about Caesar also documenting the often contradictory sources that exist on his actions and what Roman society thought of him as a leader. The author provides us a context with a brief history of Rome as well as background on the various factions that tried to lead the Roman Republic and their various conflicts. All of these helped shape who Caesar was in his outlook about Roman society, plans and his ambitions as well. The author also gives us a brief summary of Caesar's family history because, again, understanding where he came from ultimately helps us understand his view of himself and place within Roman society and the world.
Goldsworthy's book is well written with a view to enlightening both those interested in history and the lay reader as well. His accessible style doesn't lean too much on overwhelming the reader with too much detail (a flaw that can, in the wrong hands, make a biography didactic and boring to the average reader)but focuses, instead, on engaging the reader in what Roman society was like, why rituals were important and what the various positions within Roman government were responsible for. He also turns a keen eye on the transformation of Rome from a Republic into a dictatorship by Caesar that would endure for generations with Augustus Octavian Caesar's children (including Nero the last of the Juli to be a descendant of Julius Caesar).
Illustrated with pictures of busts of those discussed in the text, drawings, pictures of Roman ruins and the sites where Caesar engaged in battle, Adrian Goldsworthy's book provides readers unfamiliar with Roman society just enough background on the politics and history of the society so that Caesar's story makes sense. This is a very good biography that manages to put Caesar's accomplishments into perspective and also gives us a pretty good sense of what he was like as a man.
Do we really need another book on Caesar? Yes, we do.......2007-09-14
In his new book Caesar : Life of a Colossus, Adrian Goldsworthy writes:
"Part of the fascination with Caesar is because he is so difficult to pin down and because mysteries remain, for instance, as to what he really intended in the last months of his life. In his fifty-six years he was at times many things, including a fugitive, prisoner, rising politician, army leader, legal advocate, rebel, dictator - perhaps even a god - as well as a husband, father, lover and adulterer. Few fictional heroes have ever done as much as Caius Julius Caesar."
The author explores all this with a full and detailed biography. Being the military historian he is, he especially shines when it comes to Caesar's military exploits.
While not minimizing Caesar's faults, Mr. Goldsworthy sees him as "a patriot and very able man." He cannot disguise his admiration for the man, and "[whatever] the rights or wrongs of his actions, it is hard to imagine that in any way his life could have been more dramatic," taking up the theme from the Introduction. He has given the reader a complex and rounded portrait. The general audience, for whom the book is intended, gets its money's worth and hopefully will enjoy the book.
The question, "do we really need another book on Caesar?," can be answered in the affirmative, as a popular history treatment of the subject has been wanting for quite a while, and this one fills the bill.
In the end though, Caesar still remains difficult to pin down, not for want of trying by the author, but because of his truly elusive personality.
The book is nicely illustrated with photos, maps, and battle diagrams. It has the prevailing and annoying habit of publishers not linking the endnotes to the page numbers.
The Definitive Biography? Maybe........2007-08-26
When you consider all the historical figures of the Western World, few would be bigger than Julius Caesar. How big was he? When you consider all the months of the year (and even all the days of the week), only two are named after actual people: July, after Caesar, and August, after Caesar's adopted son Octavian, also known as Augustus. In fact, the solar calendar itself (365 days every three years, followed by 366 in the fourth), was instituted by Caesar, and as Rome went, so went the known world. Caesar's name would become synonymous with leadership, even up to a hundred years ago, with the titles Kaiser and Tsar derived from his name.
Adrian Goldsworthy's biography details Caesar's rise from a youth with a noble name but little wealth or power to back it up to the absolute ruler of the Roman Republic. It would be Caesar who would initiate the transformation of the Republic to the Empire, a process that Augustus would complete. But as Goldsworthy argues, even around the time of Caesar's birth, the Republican structure of government was beginning to fall apart, with people like Marius and Sulla seizing power for better or for worse.
Caesar would spend the early part of his life playing the political game well, getting important patrons and rising in the ranks to the top spot of consul. After his consulship, he would have a successful military career, but when his rivals and enemies tried to oppose him, events would lead to a civil war, with Caesar taking on his former ally, Pompey. When Pompey and his followers were defeated, Caesar reached the pinnacle of his power, but it would not last long as a conspiracy would lead to his assassination.
Goldsworthy's biography of Caesar is generally favorable towards its subject, but he is objective enough to present the negatives as well. He shows clearly that to understand Caesar requires that the reader understands Rome: the way politics worked, the general acceptance of brutal warfare and the institution of slavery, and the roles of men and women. This last is particularly important, as Caesar was quite the womanizer: among his lovers were Cleopatra and Servilia (the mother of his killer, Brutus).
There have been more skillful politicians and successful generals, but rarely do members of these groups intersect. Caesar is one of the few, perhaps the best combination politician/military leader ever (but as Goldsworthy argues, in Rome, there was less distinction between the two). In addition, there are few historical figures who have a life story filled with as much sex, violence and intrigue as Caesar. Goldsworthy does a great job of bringing Julius Caesar and Rome to life, and if you interested in this era, this is a must-read.
Book Description
A lively and engaging narrative history showing the common threads in the cultures that gave birth to our own.
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history.
Dozens of maps provide a clear geography of great events, while timelines give the reader an ongoing sense of the passage of years and cultural interconnection. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath"—literature, epic traditions, private letters and accounts—to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled. The result is an engrossing tapestry of human behavior from which we may draw conclusions about the direction of world events and the causes behind them. 13 illustrations, 80 maps.
Customer Reviews:
Validating one's sources? Good idea........2007-10-07
As a friend of History and an individual with quite the affinity for the young Roman emperor Elagabalus, I feel it should be my partial duty to speak out when published works are grossly incorrect in regards to his meager 4-year-rule of the Empire. One main source cited for the information regarding Elagabalus in this text is the Augustan History, which has been debated by scholars for centuries and finally declared not a reliable source for any of the periods it is said to cover.
Almost every portion of the child emperor's life described in this work has been reported false, mislead, or biased by the lies of Rome itself; I feel if the author had done more dedicated research before writing that little portion it would have done her worlds more good than making herself look foolish.
It leads me to believe that perhaps many other subjects covered are covered incorrectly, or cited from previously discredited sources; be they primary or otherwise. I would suggest that one avoid this work altogether, but perhaps it holds some merit. I've been too turned away by just those few incorrect pages to read further.
strange flaw.......2007-09-04
So far, I'm finding the same strengths and limitations in this book pointed out by other readers. Overall, I think the book has a lot to offer, but I'm puzzled by the author's approach to the "Great Flood," and I'm wondering if anyone else found it problematic.
In Chapter Two, Bauer calls the Great Flood "the closest thing to a universal story that the human race possesses." She points to various stories of a massive, devastating deluge: three from Mesopotamia, one from China, one from India, and two from the Americas. Although she doesn't come right out and say it or explain it, her underlying assumption is that each of these stories refers to the same event. She uses this belief to discount the otherwise most plausible, current idea for how the Mesopotamian flood happened. (This is Ryan and Pitman's theory that in 7000 BC, the rising glacial-melt waters of the Mediterranean Sea broke through a land barrier into the Black Sea, creating the Bosphorus Strait and causing the Black Sea to flood south into Mesopotamia.) She dismisses this theory because, she suggests, the date is wrong. "How," she asks, "did stories of a universal flood make their way into the oral traditions of so many peoples who, by any reckoning, were far away from Mesopotamia by 7000 BC?" Pointing to the two flood stories found in Central and South America, she states that "the shared disaster must have taken place before 10,000 BC, when hunters migrated across the Bering Strait."
I wasn't expecting such a failure of logic from this author. There are, I believe, other possible explanations for the Asian and American flood stories. One need not assume that they each arose from the same, middle-eastern flood. A tsunami or category five hurricane could easily have wreaked havoc on an early, shore-hugging population, leaving only a handful of survivors to tell the tale. The giving-way of a glacial plug would have had a similar effect on inland people. It seems natural that later generations would explain these "Noahs" in terms of their own cosmologies and parochial horizons.
I appreciated the care Bauer took in her Preface to tell us why she approached this history the way she did. I found refreshing her self-awareness as an historian with choices to make. I wish she had exercised a little more of that care and self-awareness in her discussion of Flood stories.
An excellent, very readable introduction to ancient history........2007-07-24
This may be the finest general introduction to Ancient History for the non-specialist I've yet read. Ms Bauer impresses out of the gate by declaring that she will a) focus on personalities and their roles in ancient cultures and b) disregard any civilization's story from the pre-literate era. These are two EXCELLENT decisions for the writer of a general, introductory history to stick with, regardless of how much they may upset the modern specialists out there.
In choosing to simply accept that the vast majority of our available records cover the rulers of the ancient era at the expense of almost any documentation on the lives of the common man, Bauer weaves a narrative that covers that which we reasonably know in a lively, fast-moving fashion, pulling off the tricky feat of acknowledging the gaps in the historical record without getting bogged down in them. The primary movers of the ancient era come alive as the author takes us on a trip through the Sumerian List of Kings, the Bible as a historical document, the disappointing dearth of records of ancient Indian civilizations, and the wealth of Greek and Roman sources. The small, manageable chapters each cover a logically broken-up chunk of a given region's history, with helpful charts at the end of each showing the overlap in events between the current chapter's region and the same timeframe for the previous chapter's region.
Ms Bauer's style of writing is also commendable. She has a lively sense of phrasing that keeps the reader moving through the centuries at a fast clip. Some of her footnotes are actually chuckle-worthy, which helps to break up the overall slog of warfare, drought, famine, enslavement, et al.
While not chock-full of new interpretations, the book does precisely what it sets out today: a full overview of the ancient era of human history. As each culture discovers the ability to literately track its own history, it is folded into the wider scope of the book's narrative. By its end, when the Roman Empire goes Christian under Constantine, the reader will have absorbed a good, thorough if high-level overview of how humanity developed once each group began getting its letters.
Of course, this means that the entire Western Hemisphere and large swaths of Africa and Asia (Egypt, China and some of India excluded) simply don't feature in the story. Before the howls of Eurocentrism are let loose, please consider that this lies strongly within the author's own boundaries for the work: once a society became literate in a way we can understand today, it gets folded into the story. Otherwise, we're just guessing at the hows and whys of that society's motives, and that is work better left for specialists in other fields. To cram even a few pages on what we think the Native Americans or proto-Japanese were up to millennia before we actually have any sort of provable record would simply muddy the book up.
As this is just the debut volume of what is shaping up to be an excellent and comprehensive history of the world, everybody will get their due as their time comes, I am sure. For now, I'll simply give this book my highest recommendation for anyone looking to gain a knowledge of the ancient world that they may have never examined before, anyone looking to refresh the musty memories of Egypt, Greece and Rome from their high school history classes, or just anyone who enjoys the human story told well.
Political history of the Ancient World at its best.......2007-06-24
If political history is the narrative of political (and so often military) events and leaders, this is certainly a political history. It has got the advantage of presenting not only Mesopotamia and Egypt plus Greece and Rome, but also China and India,showing the progress of each part of the Ancient World in paralell. It is concise, interesting and highly readable.
Of course, the author's approach implies choosing a somehow narrow scope: no social or economic history is included, although some religious flavour is, for she masterly uses the myths of each civilization as clues to understand its politics. Taking that into account, I would reccomend also to read (as a complement to this book) "The History of Government. Volume I. Ancient Monarchies and Empires" by S.E. Finer, "Life after Death. A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion" by Alan F. Segal and "Gem in the Lotus.The Seeding of Indian Civilisation" by Abraham Eraly, to mention but a few.
Good Overview, Some Flaws.......2007-05-23
In the run-up to the Iraq War, I read several articles discussing the historical treasures at risk if the war went forward. Reading these, I realized that for a reasonably well-educated person I had very little understanding of ancient history. Since then I have, in addition to re-reading the college textbook I obviously had not paid enough attention to, read a number of popular histories about ancient subjects. This is one of them.
Bauer's book covers a lot of ground in fair but not overwhelming detail. It does a good job of giving the reader a basic outline of history, with the important dates and touchstones, as well as illuminating the vast amount of information that is simply unknown and lost. For this, it gets an easy three stars - really three and a half.
It fails to get four or five stars, however, for two reasons. First, as noted in another reader review, the book totally ignores as outside its scope artistic and social developments such as the flowering of Greek culture or the art of Egypt. Anyone who is interested can certainly get works that fill this gap, of course, but it seems that this is a subject that should have had more treatment.
Second, the book suffers from a serious editing problem. In addition to sloppy grammar errors that were missed and the odd misspelling, occaisional factual errors snuck through the editing process. At one point, Bauer states that the king of Assyria was "the undisputed king of Babylon" immediately after stating that Babylon was in rebellion. Obviously she meant Assyria, but just as obviously the reader shouldn't have to figure that out. Subsequent editions of this book will undoubtedly sort most of that out, so if you are looking at buying the second edition or later, this caution may no longer apply.
All in all, a valuable book for the casual reader.
Average customer rating:
- The Aeneid
- Exactly what I thought it'd be!
- Another atrocious Aeneid translation by an unpoetical professor
- Terrific translation
- sound and action
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The Aeneid
Virgil
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
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ASIN: 0670038032 |
Book Description
Robert FaglesÂ's translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and become the standard translations of our era. Now, his stunning modern verse translation of VirgilÂ's Aeneid is poised to do the same. This beautifully produced edition of the Aeneid will be eagerly sought by readers desiring to complete their Fagles collection—and the attention it receives will stimulate even greater interest in his translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. BACKCOVER:
Praise for Robert FaglesÂ's translation of the Odyssey:
“Wonderfully readable . . . just the right blend of sophistication and roughness, it seems to me.”
—Ted Hughes
“A memorable achievement . . . Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless.”
—Richard Jenkyns, The New York Times Book Review
“Remarkably seductive . . . In FaglesÂ's hands, this Â`perennial poem of adventureÂ' is again a work of entertainment, of majesty and epic beauty great enough to stun the senses.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
Customer Reviews:
The Aeneid.......2007-10-09
I have yet to read the book, but I'm very excited about reading it. The book was in perfect condition and arrived on time.
Exactly what I thought it'd be! .......2007-09-22
The book is new, just like I ordered it, and it came within a week of my online order. Great job, Amazon!
Another atrocious Aeneid translation by an unpoetical professor.......2007-05-29
I should preface this review by saying that I am fluent in Latin (or at any rate I read it about as easily as I read English or French.)
This particular translation of the Aeneid is the worst I have ever seen. The so-called blank verse is devoid of metre, and amounts to nothing more than prose - very awkward, uninspired prose - artificially chopped up into lines of a more or less constant length. This sort of travesty has been common in English translations of the classics since the 1940's or so, but Fagles adds his own inexpressible sense of bad taste. The result is absurd rubbish.
For the benefit of monolingual anglophones, I observe that Virgil is at least equal to Shakespeare as a poet. As a stylist he is far superior. Does anyone imagine that some professor in say, Egypt, could translate Shakespeare into say, Arabic, in a way that could give Arabs a sense of just how wonderfully beautiful and moving Shakespeare is at his best? Of course not. The only example in English of a great poet being translated into really great English verse is Fitzgerald's Omar Khayyam. And Fitzgerald was a great English poet, not a professor.
In American culture however, only professors get the chance to translate the Greek and Latin classics any more, for only they know the originals well enough to attempt this. Further, English poetry is virtually dead - very few people read poetry, and even fewer have any idea of what poetry is, or how it differs from prose.
The result is the worst possible cultural climate in which to translate a sublime poet like Virgil. The translators are dull professors with no real knowledge of English poetry, no knowledge of metre or rhyme, no knowledge of the resources of English poetry, and certainly no ability to innovate in English poetry without making fools of themselves.
If you really want to gain some idea of the poetical beauty of the Aeneid, don't bother reading any modern translation, or even any of the older translations like Dryden or Gawain Douglas - they are all miserable failures - though not as embarrassingly bad as Fagles. Instead, get an English interlinear of the Aeneid and a Latin grammar, and invest a few years of your spare time in learning Latin.
Alternately, you might wish to look at Edmund Spenser's free translation of Virgil's Gnat, which is among his best verse, and which gives an excellent idea of Virgil in a playful mood.
Or wait for my own translation of the Aeneid....
Terrific translation.......2007-05-13
The original author was great; this translator is superb...as exciting as anything yhou can imagine. Don't get it if you think it will put you to sleep at night.
sound and action.......2007-05-07
Fagles's Aeneid is swift, vivid, and sonorous. With his translations of Homer behind him, Fagles enjoys a surety of reference that allows him--and the reader--to concentrate on the visual and auditory and intellectual action. Fagles gets a lovely running-before-the-wind feel by alternating fourteeners and hexameter, trimming the course with pentameter. Some transitional phrases seem too smooth, as if perhaps Fagles has stolen the ball, and occasionally I missed the poetic precision in the English that more delicate translations e.g. C.Day Lewis's achieve at points. Bernard Knox's introduction is interesting and moving, if hastily written. The glossary of persons/gods and places is useful and ample and in the back of the book where it can be ignored as desired. This reads wonderfully aloud, perhaps 1/2 to 1 book per evening, aloud with friends or family or by yourself. This is delectable action poetry, to take you lands away--to Rome no less.
Book Description
He found Rome made of clay and left it made of marble. As Rome’s first emperor, Augustus transformed the unruly Republic into the greatest empire the world had ever seen. His consolidation and expansion of Roman power two thousand years ago laid the foundations, for all of Western history to follow. Yet, despite Augustus’s accomplishments, very few biographers have concentrated on the man himself, instead choosing to chronicle the age in which he lived. Here, Anthony Everitt, the bestselling author of Cicero, gives a spellbinding and intimate account of his illustrious subject.
Augustus began his career as an inexperienced teenager plucked from his studies to take center stage in the drama of Roman politics, assisted by two school friends, Agrippa and Maecenas. Augustus’s rise to power began with the assassination of his great-uncle and adoptive father, Julius Caesar, and culminated in the titanic duel with Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
The world that made Augustus–and that he himself later remade–was driven by intrigue, sex, ceremony, violence, scandal, and naked ambition. Everitt has taken some of the household names of history–Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony, Cleopatra–whom few know the full truth about, and turned them into flesh-and-blood human beings.
At a time when many consider America an empire, this stunning portrait of the greatest emperor who ever lived makes for enlightening and engrossing reading. Everitt brings to life the world of a giant, rendered faithfully and sympathetically in human scale. A study of power and political genius, Augustus is a vivid, compelling biography of one of the most important rulers in history.
Customer Reviews:
A Man for This Season!.......2007-09-27
I am struck by the relevancy of this work to the political climate of our own early 21st American century! Chilling, timely, a potent sociological, political perspective as well as a eye-opening perspective on the military undermining of Rome's Republic and it's dying years.
A workman-like treatment of the subject of Augustus.......2007-09-14
After my second read-through of the book, I'm still not enthusiastic about it. In fact, rather than breathlessly following an `often terrifying drama,' I got bored at times, and more often than not, Augustus did not `come alive,' at least not to me.
The book is one of the many new popular history books, a worthy undertaking, bringing history back into the eye of the general public. However, it should also be readable to the more knowledgeable history enthusiast and the professional. Mr. Everitt, known to many Roman history buffs through his Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician, has done an enormous amount of research. The problem, for this reviewer at least, is how he made use of it.
The book is a more or less chronological history of the life of Octavius/Octavian/Augustus. This is preceded by a brief romp through the recent history of the republic, unfortunately sometimes a bit too glib or even careless.
One would have liked to read more about the famed "Golden Age." The quote itself is thrown in somewhere, and the poets are mentioned and cited here and there, but there is no cohesive treatment of the subject.
All in all, Augustus is presented as a reformer and forgiven his considerable flaws, the latter outweighed by the "public good." The author also stresses Augustus' and Agrippa's management of the provinces, encouraging urbanization and the Roman way of life and extending Roman citizenship to many thousands of provincials throughout the empire.
"Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor" is a workman-like treatment of the subject of Augustus, intended for a general audience. For the interested reader, there is an excellent "Further Reading" list.
The spinmeister.......2007-08-08
A decent popularizaion of the subject. Eap. good on general background and overall perspective.
Amazing!.......2007-07-19
Just an amazing read! Everitt did an outstanding job with "Augustus". If you want to learn about Rome's first emperor then look no further than this book. I couldn't put it down!
Astonishing!.......2007-06-28
Simply perfect. The facts about Marcus Antonius` attitude towards Octavian and his role in the events leading to Ceasar`s assasination are depicted with great accuracy. Highly recommended for classical era fanatics.
Book Description
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FATHERLAND AND POMPEII COMES THE MOST PROVOCATIVE AND BRILLIANT NOVEL OF ANTIQUITY SINCE I, CLAUDIUS --
IMPERIUM
A CAUTIONARY TALE OF CICERO, THE GREATEST ORATOR OF ALL TIME, AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN ROME.
When Tiro, the confidential secretary (and slave) of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events that will eventually propel his master into one of the most suspenseful courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Marcus Cicero -- an ambitious young lawyer and spellbinding orator, who at the age of twenty-seven is determined to attain imperium -- supreme power in the state.
Of all the great figures of the Roman world, none was more fascinating or charismatic than Cicero. And Tiro -- the inventor of shorthand and author of numerous books, including a celebrated biography of his master (which was lost in the Dark Ages) -- was always by his side.
Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, Imperium is the re-creation of his vanished masterpiece, recounting in vivid detail the story of Cicero's quest for glory, competing with some of the most powerful and intimidating figures of his -- or any other -- age: Pompey, Caesar, Crassus, and the many other powerful Romans who changed history.
Robert Harris, the world's master of innovative historical fiction, lures us into a violent, treacherous world of Roman politics at once exotically different from and yet startlingly similar to our own -- a world of Senate intrigue and electoral corruption, special prosecutors and political adventurism -- to describe how one clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable man fought to reach the top.
Customer Reviews:
"I do not propose to die leaving one ounce of talent unspent, or one mile of energy left in my legs".......2007-10-12
When most people think about the history of Rome and fiction works based on it, a few names quickly come to mind, including Caesar, Pompey and Caligula. In terms of his influence in today's world though, there is another man that should be considered as a serious challenger to those important figures in history: Marcus Tullius Cicero. Not only he is almost unanimously considered as the top orator and politician in ancient Rome, but his speeches and ideas on government have been studied, imitated and utilized by leaders throughout history. His influence is such that even the US Constitution is based in part on Cicero's ideas on how government should be organized.
Robert Harris brings this intriguing, and sometimes contradictory, character to life by taking historic information as the skeleton of his novel and adding fictionalized dialogues and events to fill in the meat. Thus, we get a novel that is not only instructive regarding the importance of Cicero in a time when the end of the Republic was visible in the horizon, but also one that entertains the reader until its conclusion.
Harris had a great idea when he decided to use Tiro, Cicero's slave, secretary and friend, as the narrator of this story. This provides a broader view than what the author would have been able to deliver by a first person narrator, but more of an inside look than we would get from an omniscient narrator. From the start of Cicero's public life as a lawyer and politician, until his running for Consul, Tiro takes us, with his steady voice, through the events that had a crucial role in the destiny of one of the greatest civilizations in history.
This is a great novel, and those that are interested in the history of Rome will definitely have a great time reading it. And don't worry; Pompey and Caesar are part of this work, since they also had a key role in the events that unfolded at this time. I would have liked the novel to continue until the end of Cicero's life, but maybe we will get that in the next one. This is the second book Harris writes on Rome, and at this point I am convinced that with his accurate research and great ability for adding fiction without changing the facts, Harris has established himself as part of the elite in this niche.
ANCIENT ROME'S CLARENCE DARROW........2007-10-10
IMPERIUM is a fascinating book that permits the reader a view of the Rome of Cicero, the legendary Roman orator. Indeed, Cicero is the focus of this novel, but this book is more than about Cicero, since it is told through the eyes of Cicero's loyal slave-secretary Tiro.
The novel examines two period's of Cicero's life, and thereby, two periods of Roman history. Cicero's climb to fame and fortune is the first offering of this work. The well researched history affords the reader a look at the brilliance and legal artistry of Cicero. One can easily understand how this great man rose to such prominence in his world. In the process, the reader meets a variety of political characters and military leaders, and in so doing, better understands the workings of the Roman Republic and the aspirations of some of its "giants".
The second phase of the novel explores Cicero's rise to the Consulship of Rome. The inner workings of the political animal that was Roman democracy is exposed, and while this so-called democracy was flawed, it did contribute to the evolution of modern democracy. Interestingly, some of the flaws and failings of the ancient democracy are still with us today, in our allegedly enlightened and modern democracy. Some things in politics are constants, like scheming, lying, and of course, the old reliable standby, corruption. And some of the political "slogans" remain the same too.
This book is a very quick and rewarding read. Its historical backdrop is accurately depicted, the characters drawn from fact, and the story intriguing. I unhesitatingly recommend it.
Cicero's Rise to Power.......2007-10-09
I am in awe of the fictional writers of the Roman Empire, Graves, McCullough, Saylor, Harris and many others. Each of their novels that I have read has brought me more in touch with some element of the complex culture of the time.
Here, through a speculative treatment on how Cicero became a "new man". We can get an idea of how elections took place and how corruption, for which this society was known, infected them. Harris also deals with issues of class and the entrenched attitudes about status and how this affected politics after Sula and the Civil War.
We also get a plausible portrait of Cicero, how he thought and what motivated him.
I highly recommend this for anyone who has interest in this historical period.
Excellent, and very different from McCullough.......2007-10-08
I love Colleen McCullough's sprawling Roman series, which is an extraordinary panorama of one of the most turbulent, fascinating and influential eras of western history, the six-decade-long Fall of the Roman Republic. She's not as polished a writer as Robert Harris, though...her books are wonderfully prolix, almost too much so, and she has certain repetitive mannerisms which can annoy. But the series certainly is a monumental achievement.
While McCullough focuses around the towering life and impact of Julius Caesar, Harris's choice of Cicero is perhaps even more revealing of the true nature of Late Republican politics. Cicero was a major player for most of this period, whose complex relationships with the various factions had immense influence on the course of events, and yet -- unlike Caesar, born to the highest aristocracy -- he was also an outsider who depended entirely on his wits to struggle and survive. Harris deftly depicts his qualities of pragmatism, idealism and political cunning as he negotiates the viper's nest of public service in ancient Rome.
Cicero hasn't aged well in most modern historical recreations. I believe most of our contemporaries accept the greatness and inevitability of Caesar, or someone very like him. Because Cicero opposed Caesar and his faction, and eventually lost his life for it, he comes across most often as a stuffy, self-serving, conniving, all-too-outspoken conservative out of step with the times. The fabulous if inaccurate TV series Rome is just the most recent example.
In fact, Cicero may have been the only sincere defender of the Roman Republic remaining by the time he was killed...and for all its flaws, it was certainly a nobler form of government than its imperial successor.
This excellent book helps to redress the character of Cicero. I can't wait for the sequel.
Cicero Rising.......2007-09-15
Although Robert Harris writes historical fiction, he is not particularly attached to any one time or place. His first novel was actually an alternate history - a what-if-the-Nazis-won-WWII tale called Fatherland. He has, in his last two novels, however, gone back to ancient Rome, first with Pompeii (which I have not read) and now with Imperium, a fictional biography of Cicero.
Narrated by Cicero's slave Tiro (who serves more as an observer than a true character), Imperium tells of the rise of Cicero to the highest position in the Roman Republic, the consulship. The first half is actually more of a courtroom thriller, with Cicero prosecuting a corrupt Sicilian governor. Actually, most of the legal system is open to bribery, making Cicero's job all the harder. At stake is Cicero's whole career: if he can somehow pull off a victory, he can start his climb in power; if he fails, he will never be more than a lowly senator. Of course, since Cicero is well-known in history and the governor, Verres, is almost forgotten, most readers know who will win, but Harris is still able to make the prosecution suspenseful.
The second half of the book deals with Cicero's political rise and the intrigues that both help him and make him enemies. His principal ally - although not always reliable - is Pompey, the great general who is at the peak of his power. On the other side is the plutocrat Crassus, whose hatred of Pompey will create an enmity with Pompey. There is the vicious Catalina who has Crassus's backing and intends on opposing Cicero for the consulship. Finally, there is the ambitious up-and-comer, Julius Caesar.
Harris has written a good novel, but there are imperfections. For all his attempts at being historically accurate, he also has anachronisms, such as referring to the months of July and August (which would not be named until decades later after Julius and Augustus Caesar had risen to the peaks of their power). The story also ends rather abruptly, leading me to think that Harris has a sequel intended. Harris does succeed at the heart of the book, however, bringing Cicero - often thought of as the greatest orator ever - to life. Fans of historical novels - particularly Roman historical novels - should enjoy Imperium.
Customer Reviews:
Want a Good Start on an Education?.......2005-02-06
"Caesar and Christ" is the third thick volume of an amazing 45-year life work by Will Durant. I strongly advise you do not heed the academic reviews of "The Story of Civilization." There is no reason to assume the critics even read one volume of Durant's work. Be aware that academic philosophy professors list Hanna Arendt, a second rate intellectual, as the only significant female philosopher and ignore one of the most powerful minds of the post WWII era, Ayn Rand. Sure, she is flawed but she is greater than a Camus or a Chomsky. I strongly recommend reading "Caesar and Christ" and the entire 10 volume set of "Story of Civilization" - if you truly seek to be generally educated. You will learn more from Durant than from years of liberal arts schooling in any university. I never heard a professor mention Durant to students but I saw the entire set on the shelves of the private libraries of some major historians. Would you buy, own, read and keep 10 volumes of books you knew to be worthless? Ignore the academic mantra and decide for yourself.
Let me introduce you to this remarkable man. Durant was a gifted Columbia philosophy student who earned a PhD in philosophy. He was a major teacher-staff member of a now forgotten, fascinating private school movement, The Modern School movement. He served primarily as a head foreign language teacher. A real scholar, Durant mastered six important languages. Durant wrote and published "The Story of Philosophy" in the 1920s. To his surprise, it was an instant best seller. Durant's prose style, bright mind, and sharp wit made the book a little classic that has never been out of print. The book made him famous & independently wealthy and professors wrote to inform him that "Story of Philosophy" had caused a sharp increase in enrollment in philosophy courses.
Durant's book income allowed him to quit working and pursue his fascination with history. He devoted the rest of his life to researching and writing "The Story of Civilization," still a unique work. Do yourself a favor. Read the Introduction to any volume. Read a chapter of any volume before you decide whether to buy or read a volume of the history. The books are thick but Durant was a major prose stylist. His prose style and his wit will make you love reading Durant.
Durant found history writing to be too divided and too provincial. A real historian, Durant wanted to know something about world history. As you read his history, you must remind yourself of the year when the volume you are reading was written, especially the first three volumes. They read like Durant wrote them today. He writes with keen insight about the Arab world. He tried to correct a major error still prevalent today: The muth that Irish monastaries and monks preserved civilization for the Western world. Durant discusses at length how and why the Arabic world was the leader in learning & science during the middle ages. Arab scholars knew Latin and Greek and they studied the great Greek thinkers. Arab mosques pioneered free education & wealthier muslims practiced charity.
Durant wrote total history (he called it synthesis) before it was a fad in France. He covers art, architecture, literature, geography. When Durant explains the importance of the Mediterranean and describes the coast, you comprehend what he conveys to you. He was there. He was not on a taxpayer paid vacation, thinly disguised as "research." He was "there", at his own expense, for weeks studying the area (with his wife who knew another five languages, including her native Russian). Durant and his wife invested in at least three lengthy world tours to see and study the areas Durant wrote about and He wrote about the civilized world.
American history majors should read at least the "Our Oriental Heritage" volume. Serious art majors should read the entire 10 volumes. You will never read a historian who writes so well or with greater knowledge about the art, architecture and skilled crafts of different times and different peoples.
Enough. I leave you with this. By all means, read modern academic trashings of Durant's "Story of Civilization." Also, read the introductory remarks in each volume. You may be surprised to learn that Durant wrote each volume twice. He sent his final drafts to well known academic historians, according to their region of specialty. Durant then re-wrote each volume in response to detailed criticisms these professors sent him. No volume of "Story of Civilization" contains the 'whole truth' but very few modern histories of one year of one institution are more factually accurate. And no academic historian can lay claim to possessing the 'whole truth.' If you have a liberal arts graduate degree, read all ten volumes. You may gain the basic liberal arts education you wanted but did not get in six years of college.
HISTORY WELL DONE.......2005-01-01
It this third volume, Durant continues the story of man through the time of the height of Rome and Christ. Like the other volumes it is quite well done and despite what another reviewer's opinion is, quite comprehensive. Granted, I you want to read more about battles, etc. they you should probably look elswhere. I am of the school that a time period can only be understood by what they left behind, i.e. art, literature, politics, etc. rather than who they defeated in battle, or who defeated them. This is only my opinion though, others look at it differently. Also, I suppose if you are teaching a college course addressing this period of time, you would certainly want to gleen information from other sources. That not being the case on my part, I thought this was a wonderful overview of a very important epoch. I thought it was quite well presented. Recommend highly.
Civilization vs. History.......2004-05-23
The book has wonderful moments. It is lovingly written and often witty. However readers should be aware of Durant's definition of civilization. According to Durant:
"Civilization is social order promoting cultural creation. Four elements constitute it: economic provision, political organization, moral traditions and the pursuit of knowledge and the arts. It begins where chaos and insecurity end. For when fear is overcome, curiosity and constructiveness are free, and man passes by natural impulse towards the understanding and embellishment of life"
If you want a history that incudes the brute forces of history (not solely its cultural creation) you will probably be somewhat disappointed. There is nothing wrong with Durant's msny sections on poetry, philosophy, painting etc. but it squeezes the space alotted to things like economic trends and military struggle. If you want to read this book, you should probably first read a regular history of Rome. You can then appreciate this book as icing on the cake.
Valuable reference for historical novel readers.......2002-11-04
It is an excellent history reference, although people may not read it from page one to the end like reading a fiction. College students may use it for academic reference and research papers.
However, if you are into Roman historical novels such as Colleen McCullough "First Man in Rome", "Grass Crown"..., Gore Vidal "Julian", Robert Graves "I, Claudius"..., Henryk K. Sienkiewicz "Quo Vadis"; Roman era fantasies such as Pauline Gedge "The Eagle and the Raven", Donna Gillespie "The Light Bearer", it definitely adds complimentary flavor to your reading by being aware of the political and social environment of Roman Empire. The chapters are not essentially in chronological layout, but, for example, a chapter devoted to Roman arts and letters, another for daily lives of the social classes. Whilst you are reading your novel in the middle and want to find out more about a particular topic, simply refer to the Index and the relevant chapters.
You would enjoy the novels, and possibly Shakespeare's "Anthony and Cleopatra", and the movies "Ben-Hur", "Spartacus", "The Fall of Roman Empire", "Gladiator" even more. And "Cleopatra" and "Quo Vadis" were made movies too.
The part of Early Christianity in the latter chapters, would help you in reading the Gospels, the Acts, and letters from Paul and the disciples. In the same manner, it helps you to appreciate more in reading Christian historical fictions such as Sholem Asch "The Nazarene" "The Apostle", Thomas Costain "The Silver Chalice".
An additional recommendation is Vol 4. "Age of Faith", sole focus of which is the discussion of the religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam in the Middle Ages.
Pearls before swine.......2000-01-03
It's too bad so few people have taken the trouble to read or even review Durant. "The Story of Philosophy" was a best-seller in 1929. Tom Clancy & Patricia Cornwell (sic) get listings as long as the day is long, but Durant just gets in left in the corner ignored. It's a shame.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Rome generated its own nemesis. Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors it called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling the Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. Heather is a leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians. In The Fall of the Roman Empire, he explores the extraordinary success story that was the Roman Empire and uses a new understanding of its continued strength and enduring limitations to show how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled it apart. He shows first how the Huns overturned the existing strategic balance of power on Rome's European frontiers, to force the Goths and others to seek refuge inside the Empire. This prompted two generations of struggle, during which new barbarian coalitions, formed in response to Roman hostility, brought the Roman west to its knees. The Goths first destroyed a Roman army at the battle of Hadrianople in 378, and went on to sack Rome in 410. The Vandals spread devastation in Gaul and Spain, before conquering North Africa, the breadbasket of the Western Empire, in 439. We then meet Attila the Hun, whose reign of terror swept from Constantinople to Paris, but whose death in 453 ironically precipitated a final desperate phase of Roman collapse culminating in the Vandals' defeat of the massive Byzantine Armada: the west's last chance for survival. Peter Heather convincingly argues that the Roman Empire was not on the brink of social or moral collapse. What brought it to an end were the barbarians.
Customer Reviews:
Why the Western Roman Empire collapsed.......2007-09-30
Many causes have been given for the fall of the Roman Empire. Some speculate that the increasing wealth of Roman citizens caused economic and military senescence. Other claim the introduction of Christianity softened the military edge of Roman leaders. Even the presence of lead in the water supply (from the pipes) has been blamed. Often these conclusions were based on historical bias (naturally, a Marxist-leaning historian would look to economic causes) or lack of proper information (only recently has it been archaeologically proven that Roman farm output did not decline over the course of the 5th century). Exacerbating the problem is the fact that most of the records of the Roman Empire have been destroyed over the years, and records from outside the Western Empire are non-existent due to the illiteracy of the Germanic and other "barbarian" peoples.
Author Peter Heather is an historian and expert on the late Western Empire and its Germanic and Hunnic neighbours. Using the latest archaeological discoveries, and sifting through original papers and classic histories (e.g. Gibbons), he brings us this new and eminently readable treatise on the fall of the Western Empire over the course of one hundred years from 376 (when two Gothic tribes arrive on the Imperial frontier demanding asylum) to the deposition of the last Western emporer (476). In that time, he builds a convincing argument that the Barbarian invasions over those 100 years were directly responsible for the fall of Rome. That this is the most obvious explanation based on the historical record does not diminish his thesis, as he successfully demolishes the more esoteric "deeper" arguments of his predescessor historians (such as Gibbon, who pointed to Christianity as the cause).
Thus: At a time when the Persian Empire was rejuvenated as a united political entity (and thus pressuring the Eastern Empire as a rival superpower), the Huns invaded the lands of eastern Europe, displacing the Goths and others westward into the lands of the Romans. Over the course of the previous 300 years, diplomatic interference in the Germani's internal affairs, periodic punitive expeditions, and especially trade had transformed their cultures to a point where they were able to coalesce into supergroups (Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals) capable of directly challenging Roman military forces. As they carved out niches for themselves (Vandals in Africa, Visigoths in Gaul/Spain, etc.), the losses in tax revenues sapped the strength of the military (unable to pay for soldiers). Thus, when Attila himself appeared, the Roman military was already in a downward spiral. Basically, the loss of tax income caused by wave after wave of Barbarian invasion (ultimately fueled by Hunnic expansion) crippled Rome's ability to field enough military strength to preserve the Empire.
Such an analysis could be dry and academic, but Heather brings the book to life with vivid portraits of everyone from the smallest Imperial usurpers to Attila the Hun. He even instills sly humour (he describes an experiment with his 11-year-old son on how long it would take to shout the obligatory acclamations to the Emporer in the Senate) and deliberate anachronisms (comparing one archaeologist to Indiana Jones) to bring variety to the narrative. There is also an ample supply of maps and some pictures. Thus, it's an entertaining book to read. Unfortunately, it lasts a bit too long for my tastes, and becomes a little repetitive, thus robbing it of a 5th star. Still, recommended for anyone interested in the latest thoughts on the demise of the Western Roman Empire.
Excellent Account of a Monumental Event.......2007-07-28
The "Fall of the Roman Empire" casts a huge shadow. A vast Empire, one of the great civilisations of history, went in barely a century from being the "sole superpower" to a mere plaything of barbarian tribes.
Why did it happen? All sorts of reasons can be offered, and Heather offers several, but what it comes down to is that this is simply what empires do - they rise, they exist for a time - years, decades or (as in Romes's case) centuries - and then they fall. Rome had already had a better "innings" than most, and in the fifth century its luck ran out.
It is usual to blame the Fall on the Empire's internal problems, and say that it became "decadent" or whatever. Heather, probably rightly, focuses more on what was happening outside Rome's borders. The Barbarian tribes, living for centuries with that 800 pound Roman "gorilla" next door, combined into larger units like the Frankish or Gothic kingdoms, which were a tougher proposition for Rome to cope with. Everlasting warfare with these states gradually wore the Empire down, and finally another barbarian, Attila, drove many tribes from their old homes and forced them to try their luck migrating into Roman territory. This proved more than Rome (or at least its western half) could cope with. So down the tubes it went.
No doubt, had Rome not fallen from this cause, it would eventually have fallen another way. Empires are usually longer lived than individuals, but are no more immortal. But Heather does a magnificent job of showing how and why it fell as and when it did.
One minor regret. Perhaps a little more "afterword" about post-Roman Europe might have been in order. For the significant thing about the Roman Empire is not that it fell (which was bound to happen sometime) but that it was never rebuilt. By contrast, China fell to Mongol "barbarians" in the 13C, an invasion probably as devastating as anything Western Rome underwent, yet within a century had gotten its breath back, expelled the invaders, and installed a native Ming Dynasty. Similarly, Egypt was able to spit out the Hyksos and other intruders. Yet Rome's former subjects not only didn't do this, but (unless the Arthurian legends count) seem never to have even tried. Rather, they appear to have largely shrugged their shoulders and made the best of things under their barbarian rulers. While purely external factors can explain the fall itself, they can't explain this apparent acceptance of it. Even when Roman lands were "liberated" by Justinian, the inhabitants seldom rallied round, and when Byzantium's grip loosened they just flopped back into barbarian hands. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that, however traumatic the Empire's fall had been, a lot of its subjects soon found they didn't really miss it all that much. This calls for explanation.
Still, that's quibbling. Heather has written a great book (even if his 21C idioms are irritating at times) and it needs to be read by anyone interested in this subject.
Dont invite a barbarian to lunch.......2007-07-27
Two Oxford classicists, working independently, have simultaneously published books on the fall of the Roman Empire. Peter Heather is an historian of the later Empire and of Barbarian Northern Europe. Bryan Ward-Perkins is an archaeologist specialising in rural society during the fall. Both historians decisively contradict recent rather dotty arguments that the Barbarians were not all that bad; that their conquest of the Western Empire would hardly have been noticed by the mass of the people; and that only the rich would have experienced a drop in living standards. Ward-Perkins' conclusion from extensive
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