Tag Archives: Rome

A Year in Books/Day 126: Ancient Rome

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  • Title: Ancient Rome
  • Author: Robert Payne
  • Year Published: 1966/This Edition: 2001 (Horizon/ibooks, inc.)
  • Year Purchased: 2001/2002
  • Source: History Book Club
  • About: While there’s nothing new or groundbreaking about the text or historical standpoint, this is a wonderful primer on ancient Rome. It’s a solid read, entertaining and enlightening without being flashy or over-blown. The real treat is in the beautifully rendered concept photographs, which give us an idea-however slight-of how Rome looked to its citizens.
  • Motivation: I’m a sucker for ancient history. Cannot. Get. Enough.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 41: “These tough-minded hill people had come far. They had built a workable civilization, absorbed the arts of the Etruscans, shown themselves to be possessed of a ferocious spirit of independence, and could look forward to increasing their influence. Then quite suddenly in a single day they lost the gains of centuries.”
  • Happiness Scale: 8 1/2