The Roman Republic and the Hellenistic Mediterranean - by Joel Allen (Paperback)

About the Book

"This book endeavors to put the historical narratives of various regions of the Mediterranean in tandem with each other for the course of the Hellenistic period--the Roman Republic, for certain, but also Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, North Africa, and western Europe. With a task this enormous, one is reminded of the apocryphal Michelangelo and his thoughts on how to sculpt: what matters about the work is not what remains but what is chipped away. Limited space makes it impossible to go into detail about every aspect of a single civilization or culture. Rather I have favored episodes or trends that, in one way or another, have brought one realm into contact with the next, or have a bearing on multiple regional contexts. Political and diplomatic histories tend to receive emphasis, although issues of social and cultural experience are present in every case, especially as they relate to the cosmopolitanism of this world"--

Book Synopsis

Presents a history of the Roman Republic within the wider Mediterranean world, focusing on 330 to 30 BCE

Broad in scope, this book uniquely considers the history of the Roman Republic in tandem with the rich histories of the Hellenistic kingdoms and city-states that endured after the death of Alexander the Great. It provides students with a full picture of life in the ancient Mediterranean world and its multitude of interconnections--not only between Rome and the Greek East, but also among other major players, such as Carthage, Judaea, and the Celts. Taking a mostly chronological approach, it incorporates cultural change alongside political developments so that readers get a well-balanced introduction to the era.

The Roman Republic and the Hellenistic Mediterranean: From Alexander to Caesar offers great insight into a momentous era with chapters on Alexanders in Asia and Italy; Mediterranean Cosmopolitanism; The Path of Pyrrhus; The Three Corners of Sicily; The Expanding Roman Horizon; Hercules and the Muses; The Corinth-Carthage Coincidence; The Movements of the Gracchi; The New Men of Rome and Africa; The Conspiracies of Cicero and Catiline; The World According to Pompey; Roman Alexanders; and more. It also looks at the phenomenon of excessive violence, particularly in the cases of Marius, Sulla, and Mithridates. The final chapter covers the demise of Cleopatra and examines how the seeds planted by Octavian, Octavia, and Antony sprouted into full Hellenistic trappings of power for the centuries that followed.

• Situates the development of Rome, after the death of Alexander the Great, in the context of significant contemporaneous regimes in Asia Minor, the Levant, and Egypt
• Provides students with insight into how various societies respond to contact and how that contact can shape and create larger communities
• Highlights the interconnectedness of Mediterranean cultures
• Strikes a balance between political, geopolitical, and cultural inquiries
• Considers how modes of international diplomacy affect civilizations
• Includes helpful pedagogical features, such as sources in translation, illustrations, and further readings

Roman Republic and the Hellenistic Mediterranean is an excellent book for undergraduate courses on the Roman Republic, the Hellenistic World, and the ancient Mediterranean.

About the Author

JOEL ALLEN, PHD, is Associate Professor of History and Classics at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center, and Executive Officer of History at the Graduate Center.