Rubicon: the Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic Free

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This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian. The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall. It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same. Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs. Rubicon is an interesting book, but it is somewhat messy and disorganized. For example, only when talking about Caesar's invasion of Gaul did Holland fleetingly mention the huge invasion of BCE Tom Holland is an award-winning historian, author and broadcaster. Inhe was the winner of the Classical Association prize, awarded to 'the individual who has done most to promote the study of the language, literature and civilisation of Ancient Greece and Rome'. He has written Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic presented a number of TV documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, on subjects ranging from religion to dinosaurs. Tom Holland. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian 'Marvellously readable' Niall Ferguson The Roman Republic was Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic most remarkable state in history. Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland

The blurb on the inside jacket detailing the author's previous form is curiously selective. Tom Holland's past achievements have been reduced to a series of albeit excellent radio adaptations of Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil. But the Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic of Gothic horror will know Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic as a prolific author in that genre. This unusual coyness can perhaps be put down to a fear that the disclosure that Holland is a man of eclectic interests would somehow detract from his new history of the late Roman republic. As with most academics reviewing a "popular" book, I approached Rubicon with a certain amount of trepidation. The rather hammy sub-title seemed to suggest the worst. However what is inside Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic covers is a different matter altogether. This is a well-researched, well-written overview of the Roman republic. It should serve as a model of exactly how a popular history of the classical world should be written. Of course, the subject helps. For dramatic historical narrative, the last century of the Roman republic is a real winner. This was the period when Rome was transformed from regional to superpower Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic and when the Roman elite, so proud of their regicidal heritage, ceded previously shared responsibilities and personal freedoms to an emperor. Political intrigues, dramatic interventions, big personalities, all washed down with torrents of blood: the late republic has it all. So, an easy book to write? Absolutely not. Although there have been several good books on the classical world written for a wider audience in recent years, the number is minuscule compared with other periods. This is partly dictated by audience interests, but also by the inherent problems of writing a narrative history of a period when source material is so meagre. In RubiconHolland is forced to rely for large parts of his narrative on the partial, fragmented and deeply self-serving memoirs, letters and speeches of one man, Marcus Cicero. What is more, the Roman world is not one that offers the literary historian an opportunity to write an account of the lives of ordinary Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic. A history of the Roman republic can really only chronicle the aspirations, concerns and self-image of the narrow aristocratic elite who ruled it. By candidly drawing his reader's attention to these limitations in an exhilarating introduction, Holland gives himself the intellectual space to produce a riveting study of the period. He makes no apologies for writing a straight historical narrative of how the republic was transformed from a competitive oligarchy into the rule of one man. As he rightly points out in the introduction, narrative history is back in vogue after a long period in the doldrums. However, Rubicon delivers far more than just a racy blow-by-blow exposition. Into the fabric of the melodrama, Holland skilfully interweaves some succinct and intelligent explanations of the different institutions that were being slowly dismantled by their own members. Thus he manages to avoid one of the many pitfalls that could sink a project such as this: an introduction where even the most determined reader finds their commitment sorely tested by page after stultifying page of "general background". It would have been easy, too, to make facile comparisons with Pax Americana, as many authors have done recently. However, Rubicon resists this temptation. Holland is right to alert us to the post-industrial chasm that separates us from the Romans, culturally, religiously and morally. It is often when Romans are writing about those things that are instantly recognisable to us - birth, death, sadness, elation, pain - that they seem at their most alien to us. Although the big beasts of the republican jungle dominate the book - Sulla, Pompey, Caesar et al - some of the best characterisations are of the supporting cast. One of the most poignant is of Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, the man whose speeches, letters and treatises provide much of the material for the second half of the book. Holland's portrayal is fundamentally a sympathetic one. First, he manages to capture the absolute brilliance of the man as a speaker and writer. It is always easy to laugh at the sheer pomposity of Cicero, who felt that his genius was never fully appreciated by his peers. However, Holland is sensitive enough to bring out the essential insecurity of this arriviste who had no fancy ancestors or inherited supporters. In the politics of the late republic, Cicero had little option but to become the eloquent mouthpiece of those who worked to subvert the republic that he so revered. However, this is not just a book about great men and the grand metropolis where they lived and died. It is with obvious glee that Holland reminds his readers that, beneath its glittering veneer, Rome was a city constantly in danger of being subsumed by human effluent. After hugely enjoying the first pages, I found the final chapter a slight disappointment. Augustus, the man who paradoxically set up his one-man rule around the idea that he was restoring the republic, is dealt with too cursorily. Here was a man who had really learnt the lessons of the past. He would be as clement as his adopted father Julius Caesar - but only after he had murdered all his opponents. None the less, Holland has managed to pull off a difficult task. Syme was writing his book under the shadow of Italian fascism in the 30s, and its searing condemnation of the idle and selfish senatorial elite who ceded control and dignity to the rule of one man has a polemical brilliance that would be impossible to match. Rubicon is a very different book. Holland, a non-specialist, has produced a broad-ranging, accessible synthesis of the period. The fact that Holland is not an academic is a positive strength: it has allowed him to look at his subject with a fresh and engaging eye. Though it is not a work of amazing original research, Rubicon passes the crucial "so what? Next time someone asks me why they should study Roman history, Rubicon will be one of the first books that I shall direct them to. He is writing a book on ancient Carthage. Topics Books. History books Higher education reviews. Reuse this content. Most popular. Review: Rubicon by Tom Holland | Books | The Guardian

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Rubicon by Tom Holland. In 49 B. From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought thrillingly to life. Combining verve and freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe, intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published March Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Anchor first published January 1st More Details Original Title. Rome Italy Roman Republic. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Rubiconplease sign up. Is a knowledge of Roman history before the period in this book, or in Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic necessary to appreciate the book? This is a pretty popular history, and very accessible. What do you think of the cover? Does it help the book look interesting or does it make it look like "boring" history book? I'm not sure myself Decessor The cover drew my attention so I certainly didn't find it boring. See all 4 questions about Rubicon…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. And his Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic moved upon silence. The Romans had a word for such a moment Discrimen, they called it--an instant of perilous and excruciating tension, when the achievements of an entire lifetime might hang in the balance. The career of Caesar, like that of any Roman who aspired to greatness, had been a succession of such crisis points. Time and again he had hazarded his future--and time and again he had emerged triumphant. This, to the Romans, was the very mark of a man. This is considered the watershed moment of Roman history, but really the trouble all starts with Sulla. Everything culminates when Sulla wins the right to go East and fight Mithridates. Every patrician worth his salt prays to the gods for someone like Mithridates to come along to advance their careers. Things quickly get out of hand. Sulla marched on Rome and demands his appointment back. There are riots, stonings, and general unrest among the Roman population. Sulla is granted his appointment again. Sulla While Sulla is gone Marius is in charge of Rome, and promptly musters enough votes to exile Sulla. Now the trouble is if you are a senator existing under these circumstances with two very powerful men vying for your loyalty what do you do? Potentially your life, your possessions, and the lives of your family are all on the line if your guy fails to keep power. While Marius is back home trying his best to destroy Sulla. Sulla is in the East kicking Mithridates rear end all over Asia. Just a quick word about Mithridates. This guy, when he comes to power, has his brother and sister killed, and his mother murdered as well. He gives himself doses of poison to build up his resistance for any future attempted assassinations. Even with his army in shambles he somehow escapes displaying that feral survival skill that will save him time and time again. Mithridates had a role to play in Roman politics. Of course Sulla is well aware of what has been going on back in Rome. He comes home triumphant, and promptly marches on Rome a second time. This time the senate declares him dictator, in an attempt in my opinion to give him what he wants, and hopefully spare their lives as well. Sulla, flushed with self-importance, and frankly pissed off sends out lists of enemies of the state i. This is where those who backed the wrong horse lose everything. Julius Caesar, a young lad and heir of the prestigious Julian family, finds himself on the run, hiding in Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic countryside, and avoiding, sometimes bribing, bounty hunters who were trying to collect the price on his head. It was to leave a lasting impression on Julius. Sulla in 81 BC steps down as dictator and returns Rome to the republican model they had been following in the past. Julius Caesar mocked Sulla for doing so. During this period Romans were cuisine crazy and even more fish crazy. One of the richest among them, Lucullus split a mountain in two to bring salt water to his pond, so that he could raise the salt water creatures that he wanted to have readily available for his dining pleasure. Instead of fighting each other for ultimate power they decided to just carve up the empire between them, sharing power, and making it almost impossible for Cato the Younger and Cicero who opposed this powerful trio to have any chance in eroding their control. In 53 BC nature does what Cicero and Cato can not Crassus dies. He soon has to abandon his plans of conquest to put down a revolt in Gaul. Vercingetorix manages to unite the tribes of Gaul under one banner, and wins a couple of battles against Caesar. At the Battle of Alesia, Caesar is pinched between two Gaul forces, and manages to defeat both sides. He also captures Vercingetorix. The leader of the Gauls is thrown in chains and brought back to Rome to be publicly beheaded for the enjoyment of the Roman citizens. Vercingetorix is the cherry or rather the noggin to top off a very elaborate triumphal parade. Vercingetorix, defeated, but immortalized. All of Rome was following the exploits of Caesar, equivalent, as Holland says to the time of the moon landings when almost the entire United States population was glued to TVs and radios to hear Neil Armstrong utter those famous words. Even Cicero, sworn enemy of Caesar, was gleefully following the events in Britain and Gaul as they unfolded. The idea, even a glimmer of a thought, that Caesar would lose is preposterous. I smile every time I see his smirk which adorns most of his sculptures. Pompey realizes that Caesar has become much more powerful and much more popular than even his own grand self. He aligns himself with the senate in an attempt to balance out this shifting of power with Caesar. They order Caesar to disband his army. Yeah right. A sub-story, that is absolutely fascinating, involves the more thuggish elements behind the scenes. Clodius Claudius and his sister Clodia Claudia are patricians who changed their names to more plebeian pronunciations to better identify with those that would become their main base of support. They were charming, beautiful, charismatic people who were both sexually attractive to men and women. Rumor has it, malicious maybe, that they were more attracted to each other than other people. The rumor grew to the point that Clodius is actually accused of incest. He was a supporter of Crassus. His arch rival Milo, was a Pompey supporter, so Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic the lines of the enemy of my enemy is my friend he became more closely aligned with Caesar after Crassus died. This is a different kind of politics with Clodius and Milo having bands Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic thugs who fought epic gang style battle through the streets of Rome. He famously burns down the forum.