With commanding skill Thomas R. Martin tells the remarkable & dramatic story of how a tiny poor & threatened settlement grew to become during its height the dominant power in the Mediterranean world for five hundred years. Encompassing the period from Romes founding in the eighth century B.C. through Justinians rule in the sixth century A.D. he offers a distinctive perspective on the Romans & their civilization by employing fundamental Roman values as a lens through which to view both their rise & spectacular fall. Interweaving social political religious & cultural history Martin interprets the successes & failures of the Romans in war political organization quest for personal status & in the integration of religious beliefs & practices with government. He focuses on the central role of social & moral values in determining individual conduct as well as decisions of state from monarchy to republic to empire. Striving to reconstruct ancient history from the ground up he
Includes:: frequent references to ancient texts & authors encouraging readers to return to the primary sources. Comprehensive concise & accessible this masterful account provides a unique window into Rome & its changing fortune.