The Romans - by Edward J Watts (Hardcover)

About the Book

"When we think of "ancient Romans" today, many picture the toga-clad figures of Cicero and Caesar, presiding over a republic, and then an empire, before seeing their world collapse at the hands of barbarians in the fifth century AD. The Romans does away with this narrow vision by offering the first comprehensive account of ancient Rome over the course of two millennia. Prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts recounts the full sweep of Rome's epic past: the Punic Wars, the fall of the republic, the coming of Christianity, Alaric's sack of Rome, the rise of Islam, the Battle of Manzikert, and the onslaught of the Crusaders who would bring about the empire's end. Watts shows that the source of Rome's enduring strength was the diverse range of people who all called themselves Romans. This is the Rome of Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine, but also Charlemagne, Justinian, and Manuel Comnenus-and countless other men and women who together made it the most resilient state the world has ever seen. An expansive, eye-opening portrait, The Romans is the definitive history of Rome and its citizens"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

An acclaimed scholar tells the full, breathtaking history of Rome, from its emergence in the Iron Age to the capture of Constantinople in the thirteenth century

"A sweeping historical survey that spans two millennia...Those intrigued by the ebb and flow of political power...will find in this book a cornucopia."--Wall Street Journal

When we think of "ancient Romans" today, many picture the toga-clad figures of Cicero and Caesar, presiding over a republic, and then an empire, before seeing their world collapse at the hands of barbarians in the fifth century AD.

The Romans does away with this narrow vision by offering the first comprehensive account of ancient Rome over the course of two millennia. Prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts recounts the full sweep of Rome's epic past: the Punic Wars, the fall of the republic, the coming of Christianity, Alaric's sack of Rome, the rise of Islam, the Battle of Manzikert, and the onslaught of the Crusaders who would bring about the empire's end. Watts shows that the source of Rome's enduring strength was the diverse range of people who all called themselves Romans. This is the Rome of Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine, but also Charlemagne, Justinian, and Manuel Comnenus--and countless other men and women who together made it the most resilient state the world has ever seen.

An expansive, eye-opening portrait, The Romans is the definitive history of Rome and its citizens.

Review Quotes

"A sweeping historical survey that spans two millennia...Those intrigued by the ebb and flow of political power...will find in this book a cornucopia...Mr. Watts treats us...to many intriguing sketches and to the ageless theme, in Shakespeare's words, of 'sad stories of the death of kings.'"--The Wall Street Journal

"A fine addition."--Kirkus

"At last, a history of the Roman state as it has always been crying out to be told, and never has been! Not even Edward Gibbon, more than two hundred years ago, covered the full two-thousand-year span, as Edward J. Watts does here. And at last we learn the truth: that Rome's 'decline and fall' was brought about not by barbarian invaders from the east in the 5th and 6th centuries but by crusading Europeans from the Christian west in 1204. Watts tells this story with verve and aplomb, and a wealth of finely observed detail drawn from Roman historians' own accounts of their past."--Roderick Beaton, author of The Greeks

"Ed Watts tells the remarkable story of how Roman traditions of openness and flexibility allowed it to adjust and readjust to ever-changing circumstances over two millennia. Clearly written and well-informed, The Romans puts readers into direct contact with the voices of the Roman people over time, and will become a classic in its own right."--David Potter, author of Constantine the Emperor

"Ed Watts's wonderfully readable and totally radical history asks us to see Rome as two millennia of Romans saw it--a highly flexible reference point, an argument for radical inclusion, and a set of enduring, if constantly reshaped, principles."--Kimberly D. Bowes, University of Pennsylvania

"Here is the Roman story across two millennia, from the mists of the Iron Age to the medieval crusades. Sweeping and masterful, The Romans balances the themes of continuity and change, grand forces and individual characters. I'm often asked what one book on ancient Rome I would recommend--and now I have a new answer."--Kyle Harper, author of The Fate of Rome

"Lucid and accessible, The Romans is simply a splendid book that only Edward Watts could have written. He shows that Rome's march did not lead exclusively toward the Western Middle Ages. Rather, the book's magisterial sweep reveals Rome's immense resilience was thanks to its continuing embrace of foreigners, immigrants, the enslaved, and the poor, to whom it offered advancement and a future, and to its nimble administrative and economic structures. A fantastic, timely book."--Susanna Elm, University of California, Berkeley

About the Author

Edward J. Watts holds the Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair and is professor of history at the University of California, San Diego. The author and editor of several prize-winning books, including Mortal Republic, he lives in Carlsbad, California.