When MONSTROSITY DEFINED HUMANITY
While this is a fine synthesis of the ancient Greek experience, it must be said that there is little ‘new’ in this book by Jennifer Roberts. The target audience is…
Lawless Republic
What would happen if a clique of very rich people, led by an autocrat, took over a Republic? What if he awarded grand gifts of money and power to the…
Rome’s second Emperor: Tiberius
Augustus was a hard act to follow. Rome’s first Emperor is widely considered to be one of the finest absolute rulers of all time. Quite literally, no one could measure…
Socrates and Plato: Two New Handbooks
Since everything Socrates said, or is purported to have said, is contained in the works of Plato, distinguishing between the two has always been problematic. Thus, if you going to…
Living Personification of the Marvellous
Virgil hailed him as the greatest part of his fame. He was the “living personification of the marvellous,” and a “central enhancing embellishment” of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. And…
The Great Chain of Being
While the German word is not used here, this book is actually a festschrift. That is, a book honouring a respected scholar, in this case Susan A. Stephens, Professor Emerita…
How Civilisation Recovered after 1177 BCE
Ten years ago, Dr. Eric Cline wrote a book entitled 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed. Now, a decade on, he has released as sequel. This one tells how civilization…
Tyrants in the Ancient Greek World
Yes, there have been tyrants for all human history. The likes of Putin are nothing new. Sadly, human nature has not advanced one iota in thousands of years. Thus, a…
A Cultural History of Western Music
Bloomsbury has been publishing its Cultural History series for a few years now. One recent example is the Cultural History of Music, under review here. If you are looking for…
Cleopatra’s Daughter
No woman from history is more famous than Cleopatra. Her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony are the very definition of legendary. But ask anyone about her daughter…