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Book Review
Philostratus's Heroikos: Religion And Cultural Identity In The Third Century C.E.
Philostratus’s Heroikos, composed during the flourishing of the Second Sophistic, stands as a deeply layered literary and cultural artifact of the Roman Empire in the Severan period. Aitken and Maclean’s edition, Philostratus’s Heroikos...
Book Review
Domitian’s Rome and the Augustan Legacy
The Flavian dynasty has often been portrayed in a positive light except for its final emperor, Domitian. The legacy of Emperor Augustus, according to Marks and Mogetta, was evident during the Flavian rule of Rome. “Vespasian’s other son...
Book Review
The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies
The book is divided into three parts, each comprising several chapters. Part One deals with the Ptolemaic dynasty's foundation and the beginnings of its decline under Ptolemy IV. Part Two includes four chapters on what life was like in Ptolemaic...
Book Review
Dolia: The Containers That Made Rome an Empire of Wine
Caroline Cheung, an assistant professor of Classics at Princeton University, seeks to fill a rather large gap in the scholarship of the ancient Roman wine trade by centering the storage vessels themselves, the dolia (sing. dolium). Historically...
Book Review
The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer is a sweeping and well-researched work that endeavours to present a coherent narrative of ancient history from its earliest beginnings to...
Book Review
Alexander the Great: A New Life of Alexander
Alexander the Great's profound impact on Roman culture is undeniable, particularly when considering the fusion of Greco-Oriental influences during the Hellenistic era, which permeated Rome and, subsequently, Western Europe. His conquests...
Book Review
Nero: Emperor and Court
Of the many emperors of Rome, there is one who has been given considerable attention and is often portrayed in a negative light. In Nero: Emperor and Court, John F. Drinkwater challenges the traditional notions attributed to Nero and offers...
Book Review
The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic
In history, famous battles define the generalship and reputation of military leaders, such as Gaugamela for Alexander the Great, Austerlitz for Napoleon, and the Battle of Cannae for Hannibal. Robert L. O’Connell’s book The Ghosts of Cannae...
Book Review
In Praise of Polytheism
Polytheism is superior to monotheism when exchanging religious convictions with others. This is what Maurizio Bettini argues in his brief and clearly written book of short while easily digestible chapters titled In Praise of Polytheism. Published...
Book Review
Conquering the Ocean: The Roman Invasion of Britain
“Why should a distant island beyond the north-western edge of the Roman Empire have become the target of Roman ambitions for conquest?" (1). With this question, historian Richard Hingley encourages us to contemplate the answer in considerably...
