Unsurpassed | A History of Rome: Down to the Reign of Constantine

The Standard on the Subject | A History of Rome: Down to the Reign of Constantine | M. Cary, H. H. Scullard

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	• A History of Rome: Down to the Reign of Constantine M. Cary, H. H. Scullard Bedford/St. Martin's, 1976 - 694 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A bit better than the Grant, but longer

Furthermore ...

-Fails to take stock of the moral implications of gladiatorial contests for the Romans.

-Contains a crushing weight of detail regarding municipal organisation for the reader to skip.

-Contains very little on the end of the Empire and what followed it.

-Cary and Scullard are Empire apologists, claiming the Romans stumbled into possession of an empire they never wanted, while still being good enough to say they consistently laid down provocatively -- indeed unacceptably -- harsh pre-conflict terms of peace.

-Virtually ignores the beginnings of Christianity entirely (which may or may not be of passing interest even to a secular spiritualist, depending on whether or not you know).

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Unsurpassed

This massive history, covering a thousand years of Roman history in 558 triple-size pages, is extremely thorough and marvellously rich. Broad in scope and scrupulous in detail, it is also very well written, a true classic of historical prose. Though several decades old the work never feels out of date. My only minute criticisms are for occasional typographical errors (like 'columm'), the rare awkwardness of style (problems with parallelism in particular), and a slightly abrasive attachment to favourite expressions ('pari passu' comes to mind). Nit-picking aside, however, the History is truly awe-inspiring opus. Highly recommended to anyone with a thirst for knowledge (yes, that means you!).

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The Standard on the Subject

This extremely dense text is still head and shoulders above other contenders as the standard history of the rise and history of the roman empire. The authors thesis, that Rome never truly fell but evolved into the catholic church/feudal state is well defended with ample evidence.

What makes this book so extraordinary is the depth and breath of the subject matter covered. Military history, politics, technology, art, science, social development, trade, are all given ample coverage. While it can be quite dry, the reader is free to skip around reading only the subjects of interest. For the scholar or the curious, this is a must own text that will serve as a crucial guide and reference.

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Cary's incisiveness fills niche between Mommsen and Gibbon

I have the 2nd Edition of this 1935 book. Having read and re-read this and Gibbon and Mommsen, it suddenly struck me that Cary offers a more succinct and incisive interpretation of the MEANING of each epoch in Roman history. He also disagrees markedly from others on the value/meaning of 'controversial' emperors (Nero, Domitian, Diocletian) which is very refreshing and well-stated. Frankly, if you want to get a good sense of the meaning of the History of Rome, read Cary first; then Mommsen, then Gibbon. Then, back to Cary. I wish this book were still in print. Don't let it go unread, if you are a Romanophile...

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