WHEN THE WORLD WAS ROME

A workmanlike distillation of the highlights of Roman history which centers largely around those episodes and anecdotes familiar from the Romans' own writings. Though portrayed within the context of the trends of military expansion and strained political institutions, the stories of the Punic Wars, the Gracchi, Caesar's rise and Octavian's rule command interest largely for their inherent dramatic value. With Octavian's death and the advent of ""some bad emperors"" the narrative focus shifts away from the wielders of power to change-of-pace digressions on the careers of Pliny the Elder and Galen, returning eventually to Constantine and the Christianization of the Empire. Simpler and more compact than Asimov's Roman Republic and Roman Empire, the narrative promises an undemanding first encounter with Roman history for younger classicists.