Roman personalities and history have always had a larger-than-life profile in American popular culture, but most people think of this ancient civilization as merely decadent, cruel, and elitist. Most of our stereotypical conceptions of the empire and its people, however, are wrong. This book corrects popular misconceptions about the ancient Roman world, thus making ancient history relevant and accessible to modern readers and allowing modern critics of American politics and society to draw accurate comparisons.
Each chapter discusses how a particular misconception developed, spread, and evolved into what we now believe to be the historical truth. Topics discussed include crucifixion, the destruction of Carthage, Julius Caesar's last words, and Roman hygiene. Excerpts from primary source documents provide evidence of both the rise of the historical fictions and the truths behind the myths.
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Release date
March 17, 2020 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9798216047902
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9798216047902
- File size: 446 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Library Journal
July 1, 2020
Bontty (history, Univ. Louisiana at Monroe) seeks to set the record straight about nine common myths related to ancient Rome and its empire. Bontty examines questions such as: "Did Romans plow salt into the soil of Carthage at the end of the Punic Wars to make the city uninhabitable in future generations?" She argues that many of these myths came into general currency through past misinterpretations of ancient documents and the creative license employed by novelists, playwrights (notably Shakespeare), filmmakers, and others whose works distorted the past in order to speak more directly to contemporary sociopolitical issues or simply to sell more books and movie tickets. Each of the nine myths is given its own chapter, wherein Bontty lays out in detail the myth in question, how people came to believe it, and what really happened according to the primary evidence. This work is well organized and well conceived, though it suffers somewhat in execution. For example, the first section of each chapter (where Bontty explains the myth) can be somewhat confusing, as she discusses the myth and then provides actual historical background for the content without clear transitions. Furthermore, while the detailed exposition of primary sources is welcome and valuable, some of the quoted passages are too long, not sufficiently contextualized, or not demonstrably pertinent to the topic at hand. VERDICT A decent attempt with a worthwhile premise, this book may be of interest to history buffs or undergraduate students, though the lengthy passages of ancient texts may prove difficult to follow for general readers.--Stephen Buss, Ursinus Coll., Collegeville, PA
Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
subjects
Languages
- English
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