Ancient History Books

"These were the things that bounded me/And I could touch them with my hand/Almost, I thought, from where I stand/And all at once things seemed so small/My breath came short, and scarce at all..."

Edna St. Vincent Millay made her fame with the publication of her very first poem, in "Renascence and Other Poems." While the poet has a few awkward moments here, her vibrant imagery and nature descriptions are enough to make even the lesser poetry absolutely lovely.

It opens with her enchanting "Renascence," in which Millay explores the "Universe, cleft to the core." She wanders through the eternity of the universe -- God, death, the suffering living, and the exquisite beauties of the world. "The heart can push the sea and land/Farther away on either hand/The soul can split the sky in two/And let the face of God shine through..."

From there on, Millay explores the same themes -- she writes with the beauty of nature, and describes love and loss (sometimes at the same time -- "I had you and I have you now no more"). She describes the beauties of a perfect autumn and flowered fields, wishes to start a tavern for grey-eyed people, ethereal witch-wives, coping with a broken heart, and haiku-like poems of "shattering."

One of the most striking poems is "The Suicide," in which a disillusioned person cries out ""Curse thee, Life, I will live with thee no more!" But then the person comes to "my father's house" and speaks to God about the suicide -- receiving a surprising answer.

At first glance, Millay's poetry seems very simplistic. Her lines tend to be short more often than not, her themes are simple. She doesn't strain for elaborate rhyming scenes or ultracomplex structure. Instead of more complex, self-conscious poetry, her work resembles songs.

But the beauty of Millay's poetry is in the language -- the simplicity of the poems allows her exquisite word usage to come through. Metaphors are subtle (committing suicide is described as unlocking a latch). And it's loaded with descriptions of plants and rural beauty. "All the dog-wood blossoms are underneath the tree/Browned at the edges, turned in a day..."

But it isn't only about pretty words. Millay knows how to tug at people's emotions. One poem describes a woman wandering after her lover's death, looking at books and flowers he left behind. In another, she laments, "Love has gone and left me,--and the neighbors knock and borrow/And life goes on forever like the gnawing of a mouse."

"Renascence and Other Poems" is a beautiful piece of work, and a wonderful debut for this legendary poet. "I cannot but remember, when the year grows old..."

I was captured with the first lines. Never have I read more captivating words about life and losing someone of importance. I have looked for these words, the ones that expressed what I was feeling for many years and found them waiting in Edna's book. . .just incredible.

From high school American Literature I remember four writers that impressed myself and my friends: Edith Wharton, O. Henry, Edgar Lee Masters and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Therefore, I reread Renascence as part of a reading stroll down memory lane - and found again the elegence that impressed us many years ago.

Many of these poems deal with grief and death including suicide. But beginning with the near-mystical Renascence there is a confidence in something more. Her skill is best shown in the sonnets, a form she used extensively as it is a near perfect fit for her sensibilities.

She is very much a traditional in form and rhyme with much of her imagery being garden and flower. However, there are few times that the syntax becomes awkward or forced in order for her thoughts to fit the form. In short, this is a poetry book worth reading.

This book contains one of my favorite poems, "Ashes of Life." My copy of the book is hardcover from 1917, but the poem is the same no matter what printing you read.

This book is simply that.... refreshing. The approach of assigning credit to the African 25th Egyptian Dynasty of Kush is really well explained. And also, traditional ideas about "Divine intervention" or "rats who ate the bowstrings of the Assyrians" are dismissed with good enough explanations.

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Before I read Aubin's book, I went out to either purchase or research about 10 books (excluding the versions of the 4 bibles I read ) that covered the subect matter. His explanation is the only plausible explanation I've read to-date. What a great mystery that was well argued and the wonderful detail that he presented was excellent. I read the whole book in about 2 days as if it was a mystery novel. It is great to know a that "white person -a father" wrote this book because it strengthen my faith in mankind, regardless of race. History should be about facts and not racial agendas, black or white.

I also happened to luck-up on a copy of James Henry Breasted "A History of Egypt", one of the writers mentioned in "The Rescue of Jerusalem". What a racist this guy was, who at the time was consisdered the premire expert in Egyptolgy. I'm glad I read Breasted's book myself to verify the accuracy of Aubin's quotations. Boy, he was right on the button concerning Breasted comments as well as the other theories that really doesn't add up.

I also read "What If" by William H. McNeill, who stated that the retreat of the Assyrian army was one of the greatest turning point in Western and therefore the world's history. Unfortuntely he believed in the "plagues theory". However, A 2nd review of the Aubin's book back cover now lists this author as a convert.

From my research into the biblical story of Jewish deliverance, The rescue of Jerusalem is the best source I could find, with clear and untterly convincing points.

Henry Aubin examines this biblical story with the uttermost scrutiny from most, if not all, the modern available evidence.

Henry Aubin with Rescue of Jerusalem, has opened a whole new way for me to look at history and religion. Henry is a Canadian Prize winning journalist and his perspective compared to certified historians makes the writing much easier to digest. His sense of drama lifts this detailed and accurate history to an art form. Don't be afraid of the footnotes. They are there for "doubting Tomases" and in no way detract from an exciting read. Congratulations Henry, I can't wait for another one. Lets hear more about these forgotten but vital parts of history.

From Brown's perspective the Christianization and formation of Europe is the result of a process in which a deeply rooted Christian politic, looking outward from its mediterranean seat, gradually dispersed and emerged from within the tiny Roman sub-cultures, embedded throughout the northwestern frontiers, to establish micro-Christendoms that sucessively meshed together under aristocratic influence, martial conquest, sojourning holy men and missionaries, and the organization and education of the clergy. Brown also looks to the "East Roman Empire" where a more harmonized Christianity boldly sustained the invasions and dominion of the Muslims, and triumphantly struggled for orthodoxy under the Iconoclasts, Nestorians, and Monophysites to eventually convert the Russians, Bulgars, and Slavs. This work is definately a one of a kind, and an interesting and contributing effort to explain the rise of Christendom.

It is always a pleasure to read Prof. Brown's writing, prose so gracious that the author's remarkable erudition fades effortlessly into the background. What makes reading The Rise of Western Christendom particularly enjoyable (and educational) is the vast expanse of its theme. In about 350 pages, Brown guides the reader across a spectacular terrain through eight momentous centuries of transformation. With the easy touch of a consummate storyteller, Brown brings to life a cast of characters as remarkable as any novel while tracing the developments of the first millenium in Europe, the Near East, and even the Far East. The scope of the book gives Brown the opportunity to integrate themes that he has explored elsewhere into a composite survey of this age. It is a remarkable accomplishment.

Peter Brown is an excellent historian of early European and early Christian history. In addition to this book, he is author of one of the foremost biographical texts on Augustine, the major Western Christian figure of the first 1000 years after the Apostolic Age, as well as another historical reference book I use frequently, 'The World of Late Antiquity'. Brown is an excellent writer, clear and engaging, drawing the narrative to life for the reader.

One of the best features of this book, even though the title specifically speaks to the rise of Western Christianity, is that it does not treat Eastern Christianity as an afterthought or mere appendage onto the 'more important' Western history. While this book covers the period of time of the 'undivided' church (the years 200 - 1000 C.E.), in fact, as Brown demonstrates, the church was anything but uniform across the various political units and culturally diverse regions.

In Brown's narrative, there are two primary Empires of concern, and not the traditional Western and Eastern Roman Empires, but rather the Roman Empire (as a whole), and the Persian Empire. Christianity flourished in Egypt, throughout the region of the Fertile Crescent, in Asia minor, and along the trade routes into the Far East and the Indian subcontinent. Because these strands of Christianity did not lead to the Western Catholic and Protestant church, they tend to be overlooked by Western historians and students. However, they formed the basis of the greater Eastern Orthodox church, which spread Christianity through Eastern Europe and Russia, a force that may begin to grow again on the world stage of Christianity.

Brown also traces the rise of Western Christianity, not in lock-step manner as focussed upon an all-powerful Rome, but rather as a continuing process of give and take between various powerful centres of political and intellectual life, which include the Celtic influence in church survival, the 'frontier' churches in Britain, Germany, and the Carolingian consolidation. The rise of the church in former imperial lands was more assured, but the frontiers lands still had powerful systems of legend and mythology -- the Britons had monsters like Grendel (of Beowulf), the Germans and Scandanavians sharing such and similar stories. The amalgamation of popular culture (priests would 'cast spells' and perform old fertility rites, using updated Christo-centric wording) into the church's missionary framework set the stage for later diversities to re-emerge.

Brown's text shows how different the Western Church is from the Eastern Church (for which it is important to develop an idea of the Eastern Church), both in development and in outlook. This is a broad survey -- within any text that covers a thousand-year time span, the author must be selective in choosing relevant events and personalities. Brown does a good job at tracing the primary history with enough detail to keep it lively. Brown concludes with select bibliographies divided by chapter topic, various chronologies of key groups, and a good index.

This book is one of those extremely rare achievements - a work of broad and learned scholarship which is easy to read. In fact it is more than easy, it is so fascinating and so perfectly written that I could hardly force myself to stop when I had to. It is a work of secular and religious history, of course, but it gave me in addition a sense of how people actually lived in the ancient world, an experience that only a truly great scholar could give. I recommend this book to anyone who has the faintest interest in what happenmed in the early centuries of the Christian Era, religious or otherwise.

A gripping synopsis of the part that the Roman Army played in history, starting from its initial dominance after it defeated the Greek armies at Pydna in 168 BC, to Vespasian's triumphal parade after Titus' victory over the Jews at Jerusalem. A definate 5-star, must-have book.

One of the finest overviews of the Roman army from the late Republic {197BC-70AD} to the early Empire. The author clearly knows his subject. Fine detailed research to inform teacher and student alike. The excellent color plates made the text come to life, as Mr. Connolly describes how Rome's might was based on discipline, tenacity, adaptability, and organization.

Most points are touched on: from the daily life of the legionaries & auxiliary troops, Rome's innovative engineering, equipment, parades, tactics, weapons, siege equipment, training, rewards, punishments, the officers, & even some information on the Praetorian guard.

The main focus of the book describes the Roman army during three critical periods: the Macedonian campaign{this made her the western worlds undisputed & sole superpower}, Caeser's conquest of Gaul{Rome's fastest conquest} & the early years of the Empire. The book is divided into three sections: The Army Of The Republic pages 8-23, the army at the time of Caeser Pages 24-35, & the army of the empire pages 36-72. With a 2 page Latin glossary & 2 page index the book is 77 pages long.

This is one of the finest illustrated books about the Roman Army that I have ever read! Its attention to even the most minor historical details is impressive. A must for every student of Roman military history it definitely deserves to be in print again!

This book gives the most thorough and concise description of the Roman Legions from the early republic up through the height of empire. The amount of detail is astonishing, beautifully enhanced and simplified by the gorgeous illustrations.

Simply put, I agree with the other reviewers, in that this is a readable, good introduction to the history of England. The author did seem to have made certain assumptions about the reader's familiarity with the geography of England, i.e. place names, etc. There were a few maps that shed quite a bit of light on the location of places and peoples, but I had to search them out. A few more maps, and descriptive maps that illustrated the movement of troops, tribes or progression of battles would have added so much to this book. A good companion, from the Roman history point of view, is the Penguin Illustrated Atlas of Ancient Rome, which covers Caesar's and later Rome's experiences in England.

Blair is an expert in his field and covers the material of Roman Britian and Anglo-Saxon England very well. For an area of history that relatively little is known about, Blair creates a clear and full picture of life and politics of this time. Writing this book after Blair was already established in his field, "Roman Britian and Anglo-Saxon England, 55 BC to 871 AD", is easy to follow. However, a general understanding or rudementary backround of the subject is helpful. Blair is quick to state the ambiquity of the sources and evidence surviving from the time period which only increases his repute as an accomplished historian. This book is highly recommended for anyone wishing to take a serious look at Roman Britian and Anglo-Saxon England with the security of knowing it is from a trusted source.

In the first chapter of this excellent history, Blair spends 30 pages discussing the sources for this 900 year span of time. This alone would make "Roman Britain and Early England" one of the best books on this period. The discussion is lucid and illuminating, and goes some way to dispelling the "Dark Ages" label which implies that Saxon Britain was home to little more than shaggy barbarians. Blair points out, for example, that the fifth and sixth centuries have more written sources than the second and third, under Roman Britain. But the main value of this chapter is that it clarifies just what the limitations on our understanding of this history are -- the sources are, for example, overwhelmingly Christian.

The rest of the book falls fairly neatly into two halves. The first half covers Roman Britain. There are three chapters giving the chronological events from Julius Caesar to the outbreak of war in 367, when the Picts, Scots and Saxons launched a major attack on Roman Britain. The next three chapters step back to take a look at life in the Roman towns and countryside, and at what we know of Roman religious practices. The second half picks up the chronological story from the restoration of the borders of Roman Britain by Theodosius in 370, through the abandonment of Britain by Rome in 410, to the convulsions with the Saxons. Four of these chapters take us to the succession of Alfred in 871, and then two final chapters review the religious conversion of the Anglo-Saxons and the nature of life in Saxon times.

Blair is a thoughtful and interesting writer. He takes the time to review points of controversy or debate, giving his own opinion but citing arguments on both sides. For example, in chapter 7 he gives an interesting discussion of the question of how widespread Christianity was in Roman Britain. He points out that Christianity did not demand the manufacture of cult objects that could be conclusively associated with Christian worship, as did many other cults, and that this has distorted the archaeological record.

There are adequate maps, but the period depends so strongly on local geography that it would be wise to read this with an atlas to hand. I had heard of the Weald, for example, but didn't know exactly where it was located or how it might be a barrier to the expansion of a kingdom. Constant references to England's major (and minor) towns of the period will also slow you down if you don't know English geography fairly well -- the map shows places important in the past, but less so now, such as Silchester, but it can't show every river -- I had to look up several, such as the Nene.

Overall, this is definitely the best summary history of this period I've read. Strongly recommended.

Peter Blair provides an understandable account of early England during the Roman occupation and subsequent Anglo-Saxon era. Early in the book Blair makes it clear historical written information about this period is quite limited, particularly after the Roman occupation. However, with sources such as Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and poems such as Beowulf, Blair paints a fairly detailed picture of England from 55 BC to AD 871. I found the book to be quite readable even for someone with limited prior knowledge of the period.

Titus Livius, (Livy) 59BCE-17ACE, born in Padua he was a popular and much admired writer in his day. His history was a favorite of Caesar Augustus who reigned during the time of the writing of the "History of Early Rome". His facts are not the most accurate, but like Plutarch, he believed that; "if history were not morally instructive, it was nothing." "History of Early Rome" is a valiant effort at recalling and preserving the memory of the noble deeds of the Romans. The history opens with the Trojans wandering into Rome to found a new city around 750BCE. It traces the history of Romulus the founder, the period of Roman kingship and then the Roman Republic era. Livy has a wonderful description of the "rape of the Sabine women" in which Rome's men conduct to increase their population. Wonderful telling of the life and acts of the noble and humble Cinncinatus who many of George Washington's contemporaries believed modeled himself after and held many of the same virtues. It contains an in depth look at Coriolanus, which was the source material for Shakespeare's play "Coriolanus". "Shared danger is the strongest of bonds; it will keep men united in spite of mutual dislike and suspicion."

Machiavelli loved reading Livy's histories and wrote his most important philosophical work from it, "The Discourses", in which he glorifies republican Rome as a model of good government. Thomas Jefferson wrote to his nephew that there were three books every gentleman had to have familiarity with; Plutarch's "Lives", Livy's "History of Rome" and Virgil's Aeneid. In fact, all the founding fathers of note had read Livy and learned much from his history of Rome.

If you are truly interested in obtaining a classical education, put this book on the top of your reading list! I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.

This volume contains books VI through X of Livy's monumental 120+ volume history of Rome. It covers the time between the sack of the city by the Gauls (c. 396 BCE) and Rome's emergence as the single most powerful state in Italy (c. 293 BCE). Like other Penguin classics, the translation in this volume is just a bit dated and stuffy in tone, but the warmth and vitality of Livy's style shines through nonetheless.

One of the benefits to being interested in ancient Rome in particular is that the Romans were such a literate people, and so taken with their own perceived greatness, that they wrote a great deal, and much of this writing has survived down to our own times. Not only does this provide an invaluable window onto the remote past, it also makes for good reading. Livy (and a number of other Roman era authors) can sound remarkably modern in their sentiments, and even casual readers should be pleasantly surprised by the vigor and readability of Livy's prose.

Livy, a contemporary of the Emperor Augustus, devoted his adult life to the writing of his HISTORY OF ROME. The entire work was probably intended to comprise 120 books. Subsequently it seems he was prevailed upon to add a further 30 books covering contemporary events, of which he completed just 22. Only 35 of the total of 142 books Livy wrote survive to the present day. They come from among the first 45 and cover most of the period from the founding of Rome to 167 BC. This volume, ROME AND ITALY, contains Books VI through X, covering the period from 386 BC (the aftermath of Rome's defeat by the Gauls) to 292 BC. During this 94 year span, Rome rose to become the dominant power on the Italian peninsula.

Most of the events Livy describes happened long before his lifetime. Because of the sparse written records, especially from Rome's early history, he had to rely on traditional information, the writings of other historians, and public records (i.e. inscriptions, statues, lists of consuls and triumphs). On occasion, when faced with conflicting accounts, Livy notes his difficulty and presents the different possibilities along with comments on what he believes was the most likely course of events.

Two common themes run through the histories presented in this volume. One is the continual warfare between Rome and its rivals, most notably the Samnites and the Etruscans. Livy's description of these events is episodic, giving the reader little sense of the larger conflict. There's an uprising here, another there, but little indication of the broader objective as Rome extends its power and dominion ever farther. It always seems that the city is threatened and has no choice but to respond.

The other recurring theme is the political battle within Rome between the dominant patricians, determined to hold on to their monopoly of the most powerful state positions, and the plebeians, who aspire to a share of leadership. Livy, a believer in the virtue and superiority of the old ways, but sympathetic to the talents and abilities of many of the plebeian leaders, seems personally torn on this issue. At times he seems to support the propriety of one side, at times the aspirations of the other.

Livy is probably not the most rigorous historian ever, but remember that he intended his HISTORY for a popular and contemporary audience, and not with future ages much in mind. He wanted to inform, and to promote what he saw as the traditional virtues of Roman society to the populace of his own era, which he viewed as corrupt and decadent. Even now, however, his work makes for interesting and informative reading. Some of what he relates is mythical in nature, some possibly sensationalized, but he was writing for a popular audience and sought to entertain as well as inform. His work still does exactly that. It's an opportunity to look at events through the eyes of a man who lived more than two thousand years ago. I found this book fascinating. It's classic history. Don't pass it by.

This book, was very interesting! It gave wonderful insight into Roman life. Whether you study Roman History, or if you just like to try something new, this is a good book for you to try (even if you dont speak latin).

I will be visiting Copan at the end of the month so i picked up this book to get some information about the place.Overall the book is really good with lots of pictures which deifinetly is a plus with me.The explanations are very good altough i found myself re-reading some of them often because the author uses a lot of technical terms.The book is to big so i will not carry it with me when i visit Copan.It would have been a plus if the book would have been smaller.One thing that i didnt like was the fact that the author spends too many pages explaining Copan's relationship with other cities in the area.I would have loved to read more about the people of Copan, their daily lives and their beliefs.But again, good introduction.

nothing to say just read i

the first 60 pages talks mainly about archaeological expeditions to Copan and who sponsored them etc. so there was little about the scribes,warriors or kings,but later it picked up.Copan appeared to be the "capital" city of loosely affiliated outlying villages with questionable allegiances. Since the allegiances were changing, Copan (rather the rulers of Copan and their families and associates)developed a rich ceremonial life with grandiose buildings,costumes,calendars etc.in order to impress the commoners into accepting the ruling class' authority.At least that is one interpretation offered in the book.Also the book seems to stress the deforestation theory for the demise of Copan,saying that "sucess"in agriculture and population growth brought about heavy erosion due to overuse of timber.Copan was never able to form alliances to any substantial degree with any other major city and in fact there is evidence of bitter rivalry between some of the smaller cities as well as the major ones.I was unaware before reading this book that alot of the Mayan temples were built by the rulers of Copan as a form of sacred ancestor worship.There are great photos of alot of the more profound discoveries of Copan particularly the Eccentric flints from the Hieroglyphic stairway.the author claims that presently there is no flint napper alive today who could duplicate this feat.I also enjoyed the descriptions of the "Bat" houses and their possible sinister uses to shelve "sacrificial victims".There is also a good picture of the way alot of these Mayan temples would have been painted because today all we see too often if the bare limestone facings.The deep reds and greens must have made for a real sacred appearance that would no doubt astonish.Was the message--"Your link to the nether-world,get it here"reinforcing the status and authority of Copan's rulers.whose to say,maybe they actually did have a fast tract to the nether-world,at least till they ran out of trees?

An excellent, comprehensive, and very readable text, written by a true expert on the subject. I highly reccomend it.

- great selection of texts on various aspects of Scythian art and life- properly transliterated terminology and toponyms (i.e. Libraty of Congress transliteration of local names directly transliterated, not through an intermediary language)- most enjoyable book (read it twice!)--- can't wait to see the exhibit

What I know of the Scythians is limited to what Herodotus wrote, and an article in the Sep 96 issue of National Geographic which described at length the archaeological efforts in the Ukraine and the depradations by grave looters. I was very happy then to see the magnificient collection featured in this book. The essays, though simple, have helped me understand more about this ancient race£¬and since I missed out on the exhibition, I have another destination now for my holidays (provided I find the money first of course).

Ms Reeder compiled a terrific presentation of the Scythian treasures found in the present day Ukraine; some of the Scythian artificats were taken to Moscow ( stolen) prior to the Ukrainian independence in 1991.Excellent book for graduation gifts.

Well-researched, with excellent photography, this book sheds light on the mysterious Scythians, their relationships with other peoples (most notably the Greeks), their culture and their ostenatious, gilded artefacts (1500 years before Versace).

Excellently written and dutifully researched, this is probably the best compilation of information on the anomalies of ancient Egypt and the best set of theories yet on how those anomalies came to be. It's also a great reference book; when dry Egyptologists and skeptics try to make light of the building of intricately and precisely built gargantuan structures in our ancient past, turn to the chapters on the hunter-gatherer state of existence of those who are generally accepted by the mainstream as having built said structures during the standard given time frame. Then turn to the pages that give you quotes and production times for the building and quarrying of similar structures by today's largest contractors. Scientists and skeptics will stutter alike, or give you an excuse much more ridiculous than the obvious conclusion that homo sapiens developed an advanced technology within the 500,000 years he had to do it in, before his history and most of the evidence of his architecture and science was destroyed some 11,600 years ago at the end of the last "Ice Age." After all, scientists want us to believe that everything that makes us modern was developed within the last 5000 years....what on Earth were we doing for all those hundreds of thousands of years before the mass extinctions and losses of entire continents around 11,600 B.C.? Our prehistoric ancestors were larger brained than us, stronger than us, and much heartier than us, and they had a lot more time than we did to develop technology. The most densely populated areas in which those people lived now lies under the sea, and we have only found the fossils of those prehistoric people who lived in the boon docks of the world, hundreds of years behind the level of civilization of their brothers who would have lived on the prime real estate of the coast. Conservative scientists tend to overlook the evidence that actually did survive the catastrophes of 11,600 years ago, but luckily Brennan has assembled a great bulk of the most well documented and factual portions of this evidence in just a few short books. I gave up on the highlighter just 20 pages in, because almost every sentence is profound.
Brennan does a wonderful job illustrating how technology can come into existence without the steps that are generally accepted as having to lead up to it with chapters on people such as Tesla and Keeley, who were hundreds of years before their time and whose knowledge seems to have almost come out of nowhere. Indeed, NASA has only touched on the technological advances made by Keeley's sonic tech a hundred years ago, and is currently accepting bids for private businesses to develop such things further.
Amazing and thorough evidence has been presented in this volume for some pretty far out theories to explain what the pyramids and certain chambers within them were actually used for, and yet I daresay the author provides a much more compelling case than the radicals like Z.S. and the closed minded conservative Egyptologists and skeptics.
Brennan is well-versed in the scientific method and totally lucid and logical in his thoughts, unlike many sensationalists who are theorizing on ancient Egypt's past. The author does not need to reach for aliens visiting from Niburu, at least in this offering, because man had enough time to develop a technology as advanced as ours at least five times over before the devastations of 11,600 years ago, which destroyed all of the prime real estate that man's biggest populations were inhabiting during those remote times.

I was a bit sceptical when I first approached this book but after the first few pages I was immersed in the wonderful theories presented by the author. The only reason that it does not recieve 5 stars is due to the fact that the author often times veers wildly off of the subject matter. A great read for History buffs with open minds.

This book was a pleasure to read. I want to learn more about Egypt after reading it. It includes notes and a bibliography-- very helpful for anyone planning to do more research. I highly recommend this book.

As an avid student of lost civilization and technology, I truly appreciated this entertaining yet serious book. It effectively discards conventional "knowledge", places in front of the reader a variety of mind-bending mysteries regarding ancient Egypt, and then proposes plausible and exciting answers. The book efficiently covers a lot of territory. It left me wanting more information on some subjects but provided ideas about further study, including the author's other books, which I have ordered and look forward to devouring soon. This was a all-in-all a very satisfying read for this lover of lost knowledge.

This biography on Roman Emperor Septimius Severus proves to be quite interesting and very informative. It revealed an Emperor who was not only very able but also quite ruthless. Being the first Emperor from Africa revealed how international the Roman Empire truly was back then. The book provides good material on this Emperor's life, his background and background of where he originated from. Its a must read for anyone who happen to be interested in this subject matter.

However, its not really for casual readers. The writing proves to be bit on the dry side and although the book packed with information, the story doesn't flow as well as it should. It had a dry textbook type of feel to it. If it wasn't for that, the book probably does deserved the five stars that other reviewers have awarded it.

Septimius Severus (A.D. 146-211) hailed from Lepcis Magna, an African city which traced its ethnic and linguistic roots to Phoenicia and Carthage. Some of his townsfolk still had names that sounded disturbingly like Hannibal. He rose through the Army to become Emperor, following the disastrous reign of idiot-Emperor Commodus and the assassination of Pertinax. The mere fact that an African from the once-hated Phoenician coast could ascend to the principate speaks volumes of how the Roman system had evolved from city-state to universal empire. The early chapers on Lepcis Magna are a fascinating study in how the Roman provinces worked, socially and economically, and how Rome interacted with the outside world (Lepcis Magna greatly profited from its trade with Sub-Saharan Africa.)

Birley's assessment of Septimius's reign is ambivalent. Septimius was a vast improvement on Commodus, and, at massive cost in blood and treasurer, restored internal stability. His campaigns in Mesopotamia and Scotland were spectacular. Birley makes a plausible case that Septimius's ancestors retained a modicum of stability until at least Severus Alexander (208-235), but really the first signs of the cycle of contested rule, internal bloodshed and barbarian invasion that blighted the mid third-century can all be seen in Septimius's reign.

Prof. Birley has written the biographies of three Roman emperors: Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus and recently Hadrian. "Septimius Severus: the African Emperor" is his finest work thus far. His fluent narrative and relevant remarks make the life of Severus even more interesting. We follow Severus from his native town of Lepcis Magna (in today's Lybia), the member of a family of Phoenecian origin but Romanized for generations. Severus starts his career in an unremarkable way during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, giving us a glimpse of what life was for individual members of the senatorial class. We then follow Severus's life throughout the reign of Marcus's insane son Commodus, Birley giving the best treatment of his reign that I have ever seen in English. The events leading to the conspiracy to topple Commodus, resulting in civil war and Severus's acession as first Emperor for whom Latin was a foreign language, read like a first-class thriller, all the more fascinating because true. As emperor Severus shows himself to be competent and ruthless, and apparently somewhat disdainful and resentful of the traditional elites of Italian background, which led to his starting to convert the empire into a military dictatorship. On the other hand, his support of the great jurists Papinian and Paul make his reign one of the great ages of Roman jurisprudence, which was to have so much influence on Western law. Severus's military pursuits in Mesopotamia and Scotland are also vividly described. To be sure, the first chapters on the origins of Lepcis Magna are a bit slow, but all the rest is fascinating. I could not recomment this book more.

Anthony Birley does an outstanding job at presenting the life of a man who survived the insane rule of Commodus and founded a new imperial dynasty. Birley give one of the best accounts of the Empire under Commodus and the consipracy leading to his assassination. The brief rule of Pertinax is also delt with and the following civil war.

The begining section on the origins of Lepcis Magna are a bit slow. However, it provides a wealth of knowledge on what life was like in the Empire outside of Rome and Italy. Very few books manage to do this as well this one.

Showing the reign of Septimius Severus in great detail the reader can get an idea of how the 'Crisis of the Third Century' was to become almost inevitable. Septimius Severus favoring the soldiers over all else and his advise to his sons: "Be good brothers, grease the palm of the army and to hell with the rest."(not an exact translation of course) The life of Septimius Severus gives the reader a glimpse into what may have made Caracalla such a tyrant.