Roman Legends Bought to Life

Roman Legends Bought to Life written by Robert Garland and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 232

The legends of early Rome are among the most memorable of any in the world. They are also

highly instructive. They taught generations of Romans about duty and obedience. Duty and

obedience might not seem to amount to much these days, but it was precisely these virtues

that made Rome great. The legends are not, however, merely self-congratulatory and they are

rarely simple exercises in nationalist propaganda. On the contrary, many reveal their ancestors’

dark side, which they expose unflinchingly.

As in the case of Greek mythology, there is no authorised version of any Roman legend. The legends survived because they reminded the Romans who they were, what modest beginnings they came from, how on many occasions their city nearly imploded, and what type of men and women shaped their story.

Defeat, loss, failure. That’s where this story – the story of the boldest, most enduring, and most successful political experiment in human history – begins. It’s the story of how a band of refugees escaped from the ruins of a burning city and came to establish themselves hundreds of miles to the west in the land of Hesperia, the Western Land, the land where the sun declines, aka Italia. It’s the story of a people who by intermingling, compromise and sheer doggedness came to dominate first their region, then the whole of peninsula Italy, and finally the entire Mediterranean and beyond.

This book explores the world of Roman Legends, all those great roman gods and leaders we all learn about at school or through life. You have all the great gods and stories from the Trojan Horse right through to the Ides of March and everything in between. What was really good about this book was the comprehensive number of stories, but also the way they were written, it seemed to me they were written in layman’s terms. This not only made them far easier to understand, but with the excellent writing, it was a breeze to read. The only negative I could come up with was that I was not so keen on the childlike drawings throughout the book, which I felt didn’t really add anything. But overall it was a really good read and one I certainly enjoyed and I really enjoyed the cover design and it stands out nicely on my bookcase.

The Real Gladiator - The True Story of Maximus Decimus Meridius

The Real Gladiator - The True Story of Maximus Decimus Meridius written

by Tony Sullivan and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 -Hardback -Pages 208

“Are you not entertained?” shouts Russell Crowe, playing the part of General Maximus

Decimus Meridius in the Oscar winning 2000 film Gladiator. The crowd, having

witnessed Maximus defeating several gladiators, cheer in response. Film goers

too were indeed entertained with the film grossing nearly half a billion dollars. This

book covers the historical events that film was based on. From the Germanic wars

on the northern frontier to the gladiatorial arena in Rome. From the philosopher emperor,

Marcus Aurelius to the palace intrigues during the reign of his son. We will discover

how Commodus really died and which of the characters actually fought in the arena.

Readers will meet two generals, Pompeianus and Maximianus, who most resemble our hero General Maximus. Also Lucilla, the sister of Commodus, who in reality married her General, but detested him. The book also focuses on warfare, weapons and contemporary battles. It will compare the battle and fight scenes in the film with reality from contemporary sources and modern tests and reenactments.

The reader will discover that fact is not only stranger than fiction, it is often more entertaining. The real history was certainly as much, if not more, treacherous, bloodthirsty, murderous and dramatic than anything the film industry has created. Anyone who answered “yes!” to the question posed by Russell Crowe’s character in the film, will indeed be entertained by this book.

This book is based upon the man Maximus Decimus Meridius, now while you might have seen the film Gladiator, which was fictional, this book is based upon the true story of the man and his life. A really fascinating and gripping read this book explains his life, career and what he managed to achieve. We read about army life, being a gladiator, Marcus Aurelius, taking part in the gladiatorial games, fighting and warfare all tidily done in seven chapters. The book contains a good number of pictures, diagrams and maps which really do add to the overall story. This was a well-written book by the author Tony Sullivan, who I have read before and I find him an excellent writer and to the point on most things. If your into Roman history you should really like this book, it’s not often you get such a good book about an individual soldier.

The Fall of Roman Britain and Why We Speak English

The Fall of Roman Britain and Why We Speak English written by John Lambshead

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 192

The end of empire in the island of Great Britain was both more abrupt and more complete than in any of the other European Roman provinces. When the fog clears and Britain re-enters the historical record, it is, unlike other former European provinces of the Western Empire, dominated by a new culture that speaks a language that is neither Roman nor indigenous British Brythonic and with a pagan religion that owes nothing to Romanitas or native British practices.

Other ex-Roman provinces of the Western Empire in Europe showed two consistent features conspicuously absent from the lowlands of Britain: the dominant language was derived from the local Vulgar Latin and the dominant religion was a Christianity that looked towards Rome. This leads naturally to the question: ‘what was different about Britannia?’ A further anomaly in our understanding lies in the significant dating mismatch between historical and archaeological data of the Germanic migrations, and the latest genetic evidence. The answer to England’s unique early history may lie in resolving this paradox.

John Lambshead summarizes the latest data gathered by historians, archaeologists, climatologists and biologists and synthesizes it all into a fresh new explanation.

This book about the Romans leaving Britain looks at the situation through a number of questions or essays such as the molecular make-up of Roman Britain, why we speak English, the book looks at the science of people or populations moving around, societies and how they evolve. I found the book to be a fascinating one in what it hoped to find and what it would claim to have found. I won’t really say much more as some of the answers being revealed would ruin the book. Some of the conclusions the book comes to might not be surprising and anyone educated to a decent level could have probably worked them out. If you love this period of time I would certainly recommend the book, even if you were a beginner or an archeologist.