With violence and bloodshed at its very heart, Rome's Revolution will take readers out of their historical comfort zone. Richard Alston sets out to elucidate the messy nature of Roman history and to reject the utility of the concepts of consensus, settlements, and so on that have dominated the study of ancient history for more than a generation.
Ray ... Read moreLaurence, author (with Alex Butterworth) of Pompeii: The Living City
A skillfully woven portrait of the establishment of the Roman principate, dyed in much blood.
Tom Holland, author of Rubicon and In the Shadow of the Sword
In Rome's Revolution, Richard Alston presents an excellent, concise survey of the key period of Roman history from the fall of the Republic to the rise of the Empire. He also reminds us that, however much politics and oratory influenced these years, it was violence that ultimately changed Rome.
Philip Freeman, author of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar
This book, written in straightforward, accessible English, is recommended as a knowledgeable guide to, and with a fresh 'take' on, an enthralling period of Roman history.
Antony Spawforth, Classics for All
Alston carefully deconstructs the myths Romans held about their own origins and political values, breaking down the narratives about civilization and democracy to show the messy inner workings of an ancient system built on hierarchy and violence...a strikingly poignant examination of the dangers in self-aggrandizing myths of national glory, and the ways in which efforts to return to a non-existent past can push a state further from their supposed values.
Briedy Heing, The Daily Beast
[A] vigorous, swift-paced account of events.... [P]articularly strong at describing the military campaigns leading to crucial battles.
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