Roman Civilization

Analyses the origins and nature of the Roman empire, and its continuing influence in discussions and debates about modern imperialism.

This book deals with changing power and status relations between AD 193 and 284, when the Empire came under tremendous pressure, and presents new insights into the diachronic development of imperial administration and socio-political hierarchies between the second and fourth centuries.

What did the ancient Greeks eat and drink? What role did migration play? Why was emperor Nero popular with the ordinary people but less so with the upper classes? Why (according to ancient authors) was Oedipus ('with swollen foot') so called?For over 2,000 years the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have captivated our collective imagination and provided inspiration for so many aspects of our lives, from culture, literature, drama, cinema, and television to society, education, and politics. Many of the roots of the way life is lived in the West today can be traced to the ancient civilizations, not only in politics, law, technology, philosophy, and science, but also in social and family life, language, and art.

"Laughter in Ancient Rome" explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks, and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient "monkey business" to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny, she explores Roman humor from the hilarious, to the momentous, to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really "get" the Romans jokes?"

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Rome offers thirty-one original essays by leading historians, classicists and archaeologist on the largest metropolis of the Roman Empire.

Introduces ancient Rome offering a concise understanding of its political, social, and cultural history. This book traces Rome's remarkable evolution from monarchy, to republic, to one-man rule by an emperor whose power stretched from Scotland to Iraq, and far up the Nile valley.