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Introduction
| The emergence of Rome | The
beginning of empire
The power of the myth | Pax
romana | Seeds of destruction | Find out
more
Websites
These websites are not under the control of and are not
maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 is not responsible for the
content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on
them.
Illustrated History of the Roman Empire
www.roman-empire.net
Contains histories of the various Roman eras, biographies of the emperors,
interactive maps, timelines of emperors and Roman battles, a list of Roman
place names and articles on religion, society and the army.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Rome
www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook09.html
Part of the series of well-regarded sourcebook websites, this contains
a vast number of links to public-domain and copy-permitted historical
texts. The links are heavily indexed for ease of use.
Rome: Republic to empire
www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romanpages.html
Background information for the academic course 'Ancient Rome in Film:
Fact and fiction', created by Barbara F McManus at the College of New
Rochelle. Surprisingly extensive and useful.
Roman Empire
www.crystalinks.com/romanempire.html
A concise history of the spread of the political system established
by Augustus at the beginning of the Roman empire.
Augustus: Images of power
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/users
/morford/augimage.html
Interesting collection of images of the remains of buildings and sculpture
showing how Augustus used his own image, plus images of his family and
officials and those from mythology, to enhance his power.
The Deeds of the Divine Augustus
http://classics.mit.edu/Augustus/deeds.html
Translation by Thomas Bushnell of Augustus's own rendition of his
accomplishments – the Res gestae divi augusti – which were inscribed
on two bronze tablets on his mausoleum in Rome.
Territorial Expansion of the Roman World
www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor
/firsteuro/roman.html
A history of the Mediterranean territories already won by the Roman
republic and added to by the first emperor Augustus, whose armies conquered
all of north Africa and territory reaching east to the Red Sea, west to
the Atlantic and north to the Rhine and the Danube.
The Personae of Augustus
www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/augpers.htm
A concise outline of the various 'hats' worn by the emperor during
his lifetime: personal, religious, magisterial, political.
Books and multimedia
The Roman Republic by Andrew Lintott (Sutton, 2000) £5.99
This concise book – one of the Sutton Pocket Histories – offers an account
of ancient Rome over five centuries of expansion and shows how, ultimately,
it was the empire that brought the republic to an end.
The Fall of the Roman Republic by David Shotter (Routledge, 1994)
£8.99
This book shows how the Roman republic was destabilised by the consequences
of the unplanned growth of the Roman empire. Groups and individuals sought
their own advantage from the opportunities offered by imperial expansion,
and this led to confusion and chaos to which the only perceived solution
was the introduction of a form of permanent supervision for the republic.
Augustus by Pat Southern (Routledge, new ed 2001) £14.99
Was the heir of Julius Caesar the saviour of the Roman state or a cold
and calculating autocrat? This biography presents a rounded picture of
Augustus's life, works and times, presenting events and ideology from
the emperor's perspective. The result is a depiction of an extraordinary
individual, the guiding light in the transformation of the Roman republic
into the Roman empire.
Augustan Culture: An interpretive introduction by Karl Galinsky
(Princeton University Press, 1997) £19.95
A unified overview of Augustan Rome that brings together political and
social history, art, literature, architecture and religion. A thoughtful
account of the period's major ideas.
The Aeneid by Virgil, translated by David West (Penguin, 1991)
£6.99
The basis of the Augustan myth of Rome.
The Dawn of the Roman Empire by Livy, edited by Waldemar Heckel,
translated by J C Yardley (Oxford Paperbacks, 2000) £9.99
Books 31 to 40 of Livy's history chart Rome's emergence as an imperial
nation and the Romans' tempestuous involvement with Greece, Macedonia
and the Near East in the opening decades of the 2nd century BC.
The Roman History: The reign of Augustus by Cassius Dio, translated
by Ian Scott-Kilvert (Penguin, 1987) £9.99
Dio served as a Roman consul, and later as governor of Africa and Rome.
Though written late, his Roman History is still the most complete
account that we possess of Augustan history and politics.
The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus, translated by Michael
Grant (Penguin, rev ed 1956) £8.99
An excellent insight into Roman life at the height of the empire. It is
educational to read this alongside Livy.
Romanization in the Time of Augustus by Ramsay MacMullen (Yale
University Press, 2000) £16.95
During the lifetime of Augustus, Roman civilisation spread at a remarkable
rate throughout the ancient world. Drawing largely on archaeological sources,
this book investigates why the adoption of Roman ways was so prevalent
during this period.
Journeys in the Roman Empire (4Learning, 2000) £24.99
This CD-ROM, produced with the British Museum, is for 9- to 14-year-olds
and invites them to explore the Roman world through a series of interactive
games, animations and problem-solving activities. The journeys cover the
period of the empire from the reign of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14) to the decline
of the empire in the West in the early 5th century. Check out the 4Learning
shop
for details and instructions on how to purchase this.
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