A review by matthewcpeck
The History of Ancient Rome by Garrett G. Fagan

4.0

Last year I took on Ancient Egypt; this year it's Rome. Next year? My search for a general, newbie-friendly history of the Roman Empire led me the audio version of this Great Courses selection, and it seems to be fine place to start. The late Garret Fagan is a compelling and dry-humored guide, and the whole course is never, ever boring – even when the subject is the structure of popular assemblies and voting blocs. Many of my preconceived notions of the time were, shall we say, decimated. My only disappointment derives from the broader, thematic shape that the course takes once the Imperial Period takes off, after the detailed chronology that precedes it. I realize that it might have taken another 23 hours to properly go through everything, but the shift in focus was still a bit jarring. Apart from that, it's a thorough, cohesive, and entertaining history of a civilization that seems at once so alien and so familiar.