First my credentials: I have a Master Degree in History and have studied Ancient Rome, with an emphasis on the Late Republic, for decades (including primary sources).
While the book is an okay introduction to this period in Roman history, it has too much misinformation and superficiality to raise it to the level of reliable history. For example:
- The author cannot possibly know what individuals were thinking or feeling without concrete data, yet he assigns thoughts and feelings to subjects throughout the book.
- In the "Author's Note" he states that much less has been written about the years before Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and the rise of Octavian. While it is true that less has been written, there is still a great deal of information about this time period. Therefore, intimating that he is exploring new ground, is disingenuous.
- Also in the "Author's Note," Duncan states that Julius Caesar destroyed the Republic "through sheer force of ambition." It is true that the fiasco Caesar faced with the Senate after his conquest of Gaul resulted in the Civil War that finally ended the Republic. However, Caesar was no more ambitious than what the social/political system of the time had trained male elites to be. It was the ambition of Pompeius Magnus, Cato, Cassius, et. al., and their desperate attempts to hang onto power and not honor their promises to Caesar that caused the conflict.
- Numerous quoted sentences and phrases are not annotated; therefore, it's impossible to know the origin.
- pg. 17, Cornelia Gracchus turned down a proposal "from the king of Egypt." Most people associate Ancient Egypt with pharaohs, not kings. However, there were kings at various times and locales in Egypt's history, including at the time of Cornelia Gracchus. Even so, Duncan should have explained why he used "king" and not "pharaoh" in an effort to be clear.
- pg 135, Duncan's description of Marius's changes to the legions is not correct. He states that legionary formation was largely unchanged until 146 B.C.E., however, research has shown that the legions were not uniform in the 100s, or even the 200s B.C.E. Their formation shifted and changed as required by the forces and terrain they were facing. Sometimes the legions were in a phalanx formation, and at other times they were in a manipular or cohort formation.
pg. 135, Marius's adjustment to the pilum (making it bend when impacting an object) was not as revolutionary as Duncan depicts, and was not adopted as a standard piece of equipment. It has been found in archeological digs, but pila with a hardened metal shaft greatly outnumber them.
And on formatting:
- Too many sentences start with "But." This is a sign of a less-than-skilled writer, and makes the text read as though it was developed from a bullet list.
- The book needs a thorough edit. There are numerous instances of double words, subject/verb disagreements, and more.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $22.75 | $17.98 |
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book.
Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Popular Highlights in this book
“It is this spirit which has commonly ruined great nations, when one party desires to triumph over another by any and every means and to avenge itself on the vanquished with excessive cruelty.”Highlighted by 1,174 Kindle readers- When the Republic began to break down in the late second century it was not the letter of Roman law that eroded, but respect for the mutually accepted bonds of mos maiorum.Highlighted by 916 Kindle readers
- But this was an age when a lie was not a lie if a man had the audacity to keep asserting the lie was true.Highlighted by 866 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Customer reviews
After finishing the History of Rome podcast two years ago I have been craving more information in a medium as well crafted as Michael Duncan's perspective. This books fits into a niche time-period for many who yearn for more information about the late republic, if you've enjoyed Duncan's previous works (History of Rome and Revolutions podcasts) you will be duly delighted by this work.Unfortunately despite the great content, there exist several quality control problems with the English rendition. Some words (such as ethnically and technically) have an "Ú" rather than the expected "hn" interjected into the spelling of the word. I've attached a few photos to clarify the issue. Hopefully this issue will be corrected with future releases, so others won't dismiss the content based on the lack of QA. I would love to give this book five stars based on the content, but seeing 4 errors within ~50 pages puts a damper on an otherwise gem.
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2017
After finishing the History of Rome podcast two years ago I have been craving more information in a medium as well crafted as Michael Duncan's perspective. This books fits into a niche time-period for many who yearn for more information about the late republic, if you've enjoyed Duncan's previous works (History of Rome and Revolutions podcasts) you will be duly delighted by this work.
Unfortunately despite the great content, there exist several quality control problems with the English rendition. Some words (such as ethnically and technically) have an "Ú" rather than the expected "hn" interjected into the spelling of the word. I've attached a few photos to clarify the issue. Hopefully this issue will be corrected with future releases, so others won't dismiss the content based on the lack of QA. I would love to give this book five stars based on the content, but seeing 4 errors within ~50 pages puts a damper on an otherwise gem.
Unfortunately despite the great content, there exist several quality control problems with the English rendition. Some words (such as ethnically and technically) have an "Ú" rather than the expected "hn" interjected into the spelling of the word. I've attached a few photos to clarify the issue. Hopefully this issue will be corrected with future releases, so others won't dismiss the content based on the lack of QA. I would love to give this book five stars based on the content, but seeing 4 errors within ~50 pages puts a damper on an otherwise gem.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2017
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
A Parallel History?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2019
Djilly L.
Even better than the Podcasts
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2018
Djilly L.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2018
Frankly what I was always looking for was a bit more depth to interesting elements of the expansive narrative.
So here he covers it. He not only manages to pick an extremely fascinting and crucial period in the republic history - that is rarely dealt with in such detail - Duncan also demonstrates he is an accomplished, compelling writer of popular-history.
And he passed my tube-nap-test!: I did not fall asleep once when reading his book on the way back home.
Loved to go over the Gracci and Sina stories again but appreciated all the detail about other more-obscure actors even more.
If my arm is twisted: its a book that stands firmly among Tom Holland and Goldsworthy but for that reason it lacks the fun and cynicism from the podcasts.
Looking very much forward to his next work, hopefully again about ancient history.
Images in this review
J. Pavier
Excellent focussed history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2019Stijn De Smet
... fan of Mike Duncan's podcasts this was an absolute joy to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2017
Bill
Mike first book is as excellent as his podcasts
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2019
