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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Augustus' by Anthony Everitt is a very reader-accessible biography of Augustus, Rome's first Emperor. The book is a chronicle of the entire life of Augustus and his parents from birth to death (70 BCE - 14 CE). His family was a famous one, well known to those of us familiar with Shakespeare's political stage plays and several PBS/Masterpiece series! However, as much as the political and family strife of ancient Rome now entertains us, it is the military campaigns and the brilliant commanders which made Rome a civilization which lasted almost 500 years as a world power.
The book too briefly outlines some of the customs and laws the ancient Romans had and how some of them changed or were given more attention after Augustus established himself as emperor. A literate society like the Romans possessed, especially since Augustus apparently believed in free speech, means a gold mine of documentation about them.
It is a shame so much of it has been lost through the succeeding centuries! We know more literature existed because of references to lost books made in surviving works.
What is known about the military campaigns Augustus participated in or designed and led are discussed in 'Augustus'. Ad infinitum. Those of you who enjoy reading about the strategies and tactics of military campaigns will certainly enjoy 'Augustus'! He was not always the winner of these battles. Indeed, he made some serious mistakes which cost many lives in his legions and serious loss of of face. But when he realized his limitations as a military mind, he employed more able friends and others he knew to be better commanders than himself.
Augustus was a calm personality, generally, not given to excess of emotions or habits. It made him a good ruler, if not a military genius. What I picked up from reading about his campaigns - decades of them (most Romans LOVED instigating constant military campaigns!) - was geography and weather and personalities of leaders was very important. Knowledge of roads, hills, marshes, being aware of one's supply lines, deployments of troops - often meant the difference between winning and losing. Pincer movements, where and when to place infantry/archers/engineers, taking care of one's troops (troops felt free to revolt and desert if not paid, or even if ashamed of their particular Roman commanders) , etc. are obviously key to battles.
But don't ask me, I was a secretary.
Ffs, ancient Romans certainly loved to gather up legions and make war on frenemies, other politicians, and rulers of distant lands! Preemptive and defensive war strikes seem to have been always on the agenda of Roman politicians and wannabes. I think it is safe to say the constant politicking Romans indulged in stirred up a lot of ambitious men into hopes of furthering their social positions through commanding legions into making war! At least it appears so from the written history they left behind after their civilization was done. They wrote a LOT of war memoirs!
Living in Rome, a city of maybe a million people, was a prestigious prize of citizenship not given to anyone not considered important or born there. One way to be important was to be born into or marry into an old Roman dynasty which had held onto its property and wealth for generations. The other was military action which brought honor and wealth to Rome and enough personal social capital to buy into the top ranks of Roman society - which was primarily a political society. Thus every ambitious Italian and Roman studied rhetoric and literature, and how to fight wars, as young men. Top rank Romans had running water, baths, fabulous houses, slaves, cool art and architecture, amazing circuses and gladiator fights, the pick of beautiful women, exotic foods, respect of other brilliant men of power and authority who could provide armies to their friends - who didn't want to become a rich Roman! Even if it meant enduring periodic life-threatening political purges every other year or so and sometimes exile to much more primitive lands on occasion.
Augustus died at age seventy-six - perhaps a natural one - which set off some uprisings in conquered provinces which had been quiet, and of course some of his relatives immediately plotted to take the top spot - you know, the usual ongoing struggle of power and politics in Rome. But Augustus ruled an exceptionally long time, almost forty-four years. He must have had "the right stuff", somehow, so it makes him an attractive subject for biographers. I think Everitt's is an easy readable one, especially if one is interested in military campaigns.
There are maps of ancient Rome and the Mediterranean, as well as extensive Notes, Sources and Index sections. An excellent Chronology is provided after a table of contents section. The author does not really indulge much or too far in speculative or titillating conjectures, despite that he could have from the tidbits of gossip which were hinted at in discovered grafitti the Romans left behind (yes! Grafitti!) and sly poetry and plays with libelous references to social gossip (there were lawsuits and such, occasionally, too - Romans did that). This is one of the more sedate books about ancient Romans I have read, as a result. He does do some logical speculation where there are gaps in discovered ancient memoirs, histories, letters or literature.
Historians do love literate cultures!
PS. Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Anthony, Pompey, Cicero, Agrippa, Cato, Julia, Tiberius, Drusus, Marcellus, Horace, Germanicus, Ovid - all of the Marquee personalities make an appearance! They are remembered for their various successes and tragedies because there is so much source material on them. They were real people, and Everitt brings them to life, using historical sources.
The book too briefly outlines some of the customs and laws the ancient Romans had and how some of them changed or were given more attention after Augustus established himself as emperor. A literate society like the Romans possessed, especially since Augustus apparently believed in free speech, means a gold mine of documentation about them.
It is a shame so much of it has been lost through the succeeding centuries! We know more literature existed because of references to lost books made in surviving works.
What is known about the military campaigns Augustus participated in or designed and led are discussed in 'Augustus'. Ad infinitum. Those of you who enjoy reading about the strategies and tactics of military campaigns will certainly enjoy 'Augustus'! He was not always the winner of these battles. Indeed, he made some serious mistakes which cost many lives in his legions and serious loss of of face. But when he realized his limitations as a military mind, he employed more able friends and others he knew to be better commanders than himself.
Augustus was a calm personality, generally, not given to excess of emotions or habits. It made him a good ruler, if not a military genius. What I picked up from reading about his campaigns - decades of them (most Romans LOVED instigating constant military campaigns!) - was geography and weather and personalities of leaders was very important. Knowledge of roads, hills, marshes, being aware of one's supply lines, deployments of troops - often meant the difference between winning and losing. Pincer movements, where and when to place infantry/archers/engineers, taking care of one's troops (troops felt free to revolt and desert if not paid, or even if ashamed of their particular Roman commanders) , etc. are obviously key to battles.
But don't ask me, I was a secretary.
Ffs, ancient Romans certainly loved to gather up legions and make war on frenemies, other politicians, and rulers of distant lands! Preemptive and defensive war strikes seem to have been always on the agenda of Roman politicians and wannabes. I think it is safe to say the constant politicking Romans indulged in stirred up a lot of ambitious men into hopes of furthering their social positions through commanding legions into making war! At least it appears so from the written history they left behind after their civilization was done. They wrote a LOT of war memoirs!
Living in Rome, a city of maybe a million people, was a prestigious prize of citizenship not given to anyone not considered important or born there. One way to be important was to be born into or marry into an old Roman dynasty which had held onto its property and wealth for generations. The other was military action which brought honor and wealth to Rome and enough personal social capital to buy into the top ranks of Roman society - which was primarily a political society. Thus every ambitious Italian and Roman studied rhetoric and literature, and how to fight wars, as young men. Top rank Romans had running water, baths, fabulous houses, slaves, cool art and architecture, amazing circuses and gladiator fights, the pick of beautiful women, exotic foods, respect of other brilliant men of power and authority who could provide armies to their friends - who didn't want to become a rich Roman! Even if it meant enduring periodic life-threatening political purges every other year or so and sometimes exile to much more primitive lands on occasion.
Augustus died at age seventy-six - perhaps a natural one - which set off some uprisings in conquered provinces which had been quiet, and of course some of his relatives immediately plotted to take the top spot - you know, the usual ongoing struggle of power and politics in Rome. But Augustus ruled an exceptionally long time, almost forty-four years. He must have had "the right stuff", somehow, so it makes him an attractive subject for biographers. I think Everitt's is an easy readable one, especially if one is interested in military campaigns.
There are maps of ancient Rome and the Mediterranean, as well as extensive Notes, Sources and Index sections. An excellent Chronology is provided after a table of contents section. The author does not really indulge much or too far in speculative or titillating conjectures, despite that he could have from the tidbits of gossip which were hinted at in discovered grafitti the Romans left behind (yes! Grafitti!) and sly poetry and plays with libelous references to social gossip (there were lawsuits and such, occasionally, too - Romans did that). This is one of the more sedate books about ancient Romans I have read, as a result. He does do some logical speculation where there are gaps in discovered ancient memoirs, histories, letters or literature.
Historians do love literate cultures!
PS. Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Anthony, Pompey, Cicero, Agrippa, Cato, Julia, Tiberius, Drusus, Marcellus, Horace, Germanicus, Ovid - all of the Marquee personalities make an appearance! They are remembered for their various successes and tragedies because there is so much source material on them. They were real people, and Everitt brings them to life, using historical sources.
One of the best overviews of one of the most important figures in human history I've read. Many books on Roman history get bogged down and lost in the woods...this book moves at a good pace while giving you a great picture of all the moving parts of Augustus' life in ancient Rome.
You want to read about Roman history? Everitt should be one of your first stops.
Excellent biography of the Roman Emperor Augustus. The author covers in detail the later years of Julius Caesar’s life through a quick synopsis of Caligula and Claudius’ reigns.
The full scope of Augustus’ life is revealed, his accomplishments and faults. Roman culture can seem quite salacious to a modern reader, Everitt does a good job contextualizing the proclivities of all the main characters in Augustus’ life, from Mark Antony to Tiberius, etc.
I love a critical biography, and this was surely that.
The full scope of Augustus’ life is revealed, his accomplishments and faults. Roman culture can seem quite salacious to a modern reader, Everitt does a good job contextualizing the proclivities of all the main characters in Augustus’ life, from Mark Antony to Tiberius, etc.
I love a critical biography, and this was surely that.
Hmmm....opinionated much? I got a little tired of reading about how something might be plausible although there isn't one shred of evidence for it. That being said I find the time period covered by this book to be very fascinating and while I knew the broader outlines I didn't know the details. Some of the parts were absolutely fascinating to me (Antony's journey east, what happened to Pompey's sons (which I knew but not in detail), and the disappointment that Augustus' family turned out to be. So it was certainly worth reading. I just wish it didn't go into conjecture so much of the time.
informative
medium-paced