The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction
Christopher Kelly 2006
E-Book: 169 English Pages
Publisher: OUP
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The Roman Empire was a remarkable achievement. It had a population of sixty million people spread across lands encircling the Mediterranean and stretching from northern England to the sun-baked banks of the Euphrates, and from the Rhine to the North African coast. It was, above all else, an empire of force–employing a mixture of violence, suppression, order, and tactical use of power to develop an astonishingly uniform culture.
Here, historian Christopher Kelly covers the history of the Empire from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius, describing the empire’s formation, and its political, religious, cultural, and social structures. It looks at the daily lives of the Empire’s people: both those in Rome as well as those living in its furthest colonies. Romans used astonishing logistical feats, political savvy, and military oppression to rule their vast empire. This Very Short Introduction examines how they “romanised” the cultures they conquered, imposing their own culture in order to subsume them completely. The book also looks at how the Roman Empire has been considered and depicted in more recent times, from the writings of Edward Gibbon to the Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator. It will prove a valuable introduction for readers interested in classical history.
Review
This mervellous little book…succeeds in sketching the remarkable way in which the Roman Empire spread across Europe… Barbara Finney, The Journal of Classics Teaching “…the author has succeeded admirably. This is no cop out – themes are chosen sensibly and well presented. This book does what it says on the cover… This book is intellectual, yet accessible, well written, stimulating, original, and essential for those who wish to gain a rapid overview of the subject without getting bogged down.”
—Dr Mark Merrony, Minerva
About the Author
Christopher Kelly is a University Lecturer in Classics and a Fellow and Senior Tutor of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He is a major contributor to Harvard University Press’ Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World and The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine.