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The Roman Empire

A Beginner's Guide

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

No other political entity has shaped the modern world like the Roman Empire. Encompassing close to a quarter of the world’s population and 3 million km2 of land, it represented a diverse and dynamic collection of nations, states and tribes, all bound to Rome and the ideal of a Roman identity.

In the lively and engaging style that he’s known for, Philip Matyszak traces the history of the Roman Empire from the fall of the Assyrians and the rise of the Roman Republic through to the ages of expansion, crisis and eventual split. Breathing new life into these extraordinary events, Matyszak explains how the empire operated, deploying its incredibly military machine to conquer vast territory then naturalizing its subject peoples as citizens of Rome. It was a method of rule so sophisticated that loyalty to Rome remained strong even afters its collapse creating an expansive legacy that continues to this day.

About The Author

PhilipMatyszak currently teaches at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge, and is the author of Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, Legionary: The Roman Soldier’s (Unofficial) Manual and The Greek and Roman Myths, among others. He lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (April 3, 2014)
  • Length: 224 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781780744254

Raves and Reviews

‘Remarkably wide-ranging, accessible and well-informed. A must for all students of the Roman world.’

– Mark Bradley, Associate Professor of Ancient History, University of Nottingham

‘A brilliant introduction to the Romans – informative and entertaining.’

– Roy and Lesley Adkins, authors of Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome

‘Well-crafted. Scholarly while managing to retain easy accessibility to the general reader.’

– Ian Hughes, Late Roman historian and author of Belisarius: The Last Roman General

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