Rome

The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic

A stirring account of the most influential battle in history
 
For millennia, Carthage’s triumph over Rome at Cannae in 216 B.C. has inspired reverence and awe. It was the battle that countless armies tried to imitate, most notably in World Wars I and II, the battle that obsessed legendary military minds. Yet no general ever matched Hannibal’s most unexpected, innovative, and brutal military victory—the costliest day of combat for any army in history. Robert L. O’Connell, one of the most admired names in military history, now tells the whole story of Cannae for the first time, giving us a stirring account of this apocalyptic battle of the Second Punic War, and its causes and consequences.

O’Connell shows how a restive Rome amassed a giant army to punish Carthage’s masterful commander, who had dealt them deadly blows at Trebia and Lake Trasimene, and how Hannibal outwitted enemies that outnumbered him. O’Connell describes Hannibal’s strategy of blinding his opponents with sun and dust, enveloping them in a deadly embrace and sealing their escape, before launching a massive knife fight that would kill 48,000 men in close contact. The Ghosts of Cannae then brilliantly conveys how this disastrous pivot point in Rome’s history ultimately led to the republic’s resurgence and the creation of its empire.

Piecing together decayed shreds of ancient reportage, the author paints powerful portraits of the leading players: Hannibal, resolutely sane and uncannily strategic; Varro, Rome’s co-consul who was so scapegoated for the loss; and Scipio Africanus, the surviving (and self-promoting) Roman military tribune who would one day pay back Hannibal at Zama in North Africa. Finally, O’Connell reveals how Cannae’s legend has inspired and haunted military leaders ever since, and the lessons it teaches for our own wars.

Superbly researched and written with wit and erudition, The Ghosts of Cannae is the definitive account of a battle whose history continues to resonate.


From the Hardcover edition.

History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, all six volumes, with active table of contents, improved 8/17/2010

The complete 6-volume work, which covers from the reign of Marcus Aurelius to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The table of contents has links to each of the 71 chapters. On 10/26/2009 we improved the formatting of this book. If you bought a copy before, you should be able to download the new version at no extra charge.

According to Wikipedia: "Edward Gibbon (1737 - 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. The History is known principally for the quality and irony of its prose..."

Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5)

With stylistic brilliance and historical imagination, the first five books of Livy s monumental history of Rome record events from the foundation of Rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the Republic and its internal struggles, up to Rome s recovery after the fierce Gallic invasion of the fourth century BC. Livy vividly depicts the great characters, legends, and tales, including the story of Romulus and Remus. Reprinting Robert Ogilvie s lucid 1971 introduction, this highly regarded edition now boasts a new preface, examining the text in light of recent Livy scholarship informative maps bibliography and an index. Translated by Aubrey de S eacute lincourt with an introduction by Robert Ogilvie. Recommended in Laura Berquist Ancient History, Geography and Literature Kolbe Grade 10 HistoryAuthor: LivyPages: 258, PaperbackPublisher: Penguin Group USA ISBN: 0-7648-1289-0

City of God (Penguin Classics)

Augustine's City of God, a monumental work of religious lore, philosophy, and history, was written as a kind of literary tombstone for Roman culture. After the sack of Rome, Augustine wrote this book to anatomize the corruption of Romans' pursuit of earthly pleasures: "grasping for praise, open-handed with their money; honest in the pursuit of wealth, they wanted to hoard glory." Augustine contrasts his condemnation of Rome with an exaltation of Christian culture. The glory that Rome failed to attain will only be realized by citizens of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem foreseen in Revelation. Because City of God was written for men of classical learning--custodians of the culture Augustine sought to condemn--it is thick with Ciceronian circumlocutions, and makes many stark contrasts between "Your Virgil" and "Our Scriptures." Even if Augustine's prose strikes modern ears as a bit bombastic, and if his polarized Christian/pagan world is more binary than the one we live in today, his arguments against utopianism and his defense of the richness of Christian culture remain useful and strong. City of God is, as its final words proclaim itself to be, "a giant of a book." --Michael Joseph Gross

St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, is one of the central figures in the history of Christianity. City of Godis one of his greatest theological works. Written as an eloquentdefense of the faith at a time when the Roman Empire was on the brinkof collapse, it examines the ancient pagan religions of Rome, thearguments of the Greek philosophers and the revelations of the Bible.Pointing the way forward to a citizenship that transcends worldlypolitics, it represents a dramatic turning point in the unfolding of Christian doctrine. The introduction by Gill Evans examines the text in the light ofcontemporary Greek and Roman thought and political change. Itdemonstrates the importance of religious and literary influences on St.Augustine and his significance as a Christian thinker. Author: Augustine of Hippo Translated by: Henry Bettenson Format: 1184 pages, paperback, 5.07 x 7.79 inches Publisher: Penguin Books ISBN: 9780140448948

Anthology Of Classical Myth: Primary Sources in Translation : with Additional Translations by Other Scholars and an Appendix on Linear B sources by Thomas G. Palaima

This volume is designed as a companion to the standard undergraduate mythology textbooks or, when assigned alongside the central Greek and Roman works, as a source-based alternative to those textbooks.

In addition to the complete texts of the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod’s Theogony, this collection provides generous selections from over 50 texts composed between the Archaic Age and the fourth century a.d. Ancient interpretation of myth is represented here in selections from the allegorists Heraclitus, Cornutus and Fulgentius, the rationalists Palaephatus and Diodorus of Sicily, and the philosophers and historians Plato, Herodotus and Thucydides. Appendices treat evidence from inscriptions, papyri and Linear B tablets and include a thematic index, a mythological dictionary, and genealogies. A thoughtful Introduction supports students working with the primary sources and the other resources offered here; an extensive note to instructors offers suggestions on how to incorporate this book into their courses.

The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)

As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. "The Twelve Caesars" chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors. A masterpiece of observation, anecdote and detailed physical description, "The Twelve Caesars" presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn - and all too human - individuals.

The Rise of the Roman Empire (Penguin Classics)

In writing his account of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire, the Greek statesman Polybius (c. 200-118 BC) set out to help his fellow-countrymen understand how their world came to be dominated by Rome. Opening with the Punic War in 264 BC, he vividly records the critical stages of Roman expansion: its campaigns throughout the Mediterranean, the temporary setbacks inflicted by Hannibal and the final destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. An active participant in contemporary politics, as well as a friend of many prominent Roman citizens, Polybius was able to draw on a range of eyewitness accounts and on his own experiences of many of the central events, giving his work immediacy and authority. Ian Scott-Kilvert s translation fully preserves the clarity of Polybius narrative. This substantial selection of the surviving volumes is accompanied by an introduction by F. W. Walbank, which examines Polybius life and times, and the sources and technique he employed in writing his history.Recommended in Laura Berquist Ancient History, Geography and Literature Author: PolybiusPages: 576, PaperbackPublisher: Penguin Group USAISBN: 0-89555-379-1

The Early Church (The Penguin History of the Church) (v. 1)

Examines the beginning of the Christian movement during the first centureis AD, and the explosive force of its expansion throughout the Roman world.

The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives (Penguin Classics)

RomeÂ’s famed historian illuminates the twilight of the old Roman Republic from 157 to 43 BC in succinct accounts of the greatest politicians and statesmen of the classical period.

As The Romans Did: A Sourcebook in Roman Social History

Revised to include new selections and updated bibliographical material, the second edition of this popular sourcebook offers a rich, revealing look at everyday Roman life. The selections, all in fresh English translations prepared by the author, are drawn from a wide array of documents - letters, manuals, recipes, graffiti, and inscriptions, as well as literary sources. Each selection is thematically arranged to develop a detailed picture of life in all strata of society and a survey of the full range of social activity - from the enactment of imperialist policies to the specifics of daily life for the average Roman. Readers are introduced to Roman family life, housing, entertainment, medicine, education, religion, and other important topics. Extensive annotations, abundant bibliographical notes, maps, appendices, and textual cross-references provide the historical and cultural background necessary for readers to easily understand the selections. Lively and readable, the second edition of As the Romans Did provides the most lucid account available of Roman life in all its diversity.