What is the best book to read about Ancient Rome?

gibbon was a product of his time and imo knowing the roots of the modern west's perception of Rome is as important as knowing what actually happened. decline and fall is sort of a mythology, which is compelling for its own reasons. the thesis on christianity is also a lot less consequential than people think

>The History of Rome by Titus Livy.
Good choice

Nobody gonna recommend 'Rubicon' by Tom Holland?

Yeh this is definitely the best book on Rome I've read. His prose is far too purple, but it's excellent nonetheless.

I read SPQR. Her school matron style of progressive politics does come through a bit, but otherwise it's a solid work. But it's rubbish if you want to learn about the empire period. It really only covers the Republic.

You can't start with Gibbon.

It's like reading Machiavelli's "discourses on the first decade of livy" without having read livy. You have to read the source, only then reading a discourse will be really fun; as fun as it is to compare your views with Machiavelli's views.

How about 'The Rise of Rome' by Anthony Everitt?

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It isn't actually that horrible. It's just really broad, basically an introduction. So while I found it to be dissapointing, it shouldn't be bad for somebody just dipping their toes into the Romans.

I very much like "Caesar: A Biography" by Christian Meier

Comentarii de Bello Gallico and Comentarii de Bello Civili

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon

Mommsen's history of Rome

Plutarch's Lives is pretty much the most based thing I've ever read.

I've read the first 3 thus far. They've been interesting
I liked the part where the patrician convinces the plebians by comparing the city to a body. People say Paul used language the gentiles would understand to write his epistles, and this made me think of him writing about how members of the church are like different parts of the body. Just kinda cool to see that connection

Also was surprised that the people who wrote the 10 tables of law became oligarchs later. This was never addressed in my history classes that covered those laws

Also Cincinnatus is best dictator

This. Also Suetonius's Twelve Caesars. Adrian Goldsworthy is good too if you want to read something contemporary

I think the comparison between how Early Rome really was and how authors potray it is a bit striking. Livy just did not understand how the Roman Kingdom and Early Republic operated. Patricians were quite literally tribal and clan leaders who lead war parties no different from their Celtic neighbours up north only the increasing importance of Rome and the Urban enviroment did these ways of society become defunct and the Romans became more accomidating and less tribal in society. The sack of Rome by the Gauls heralded the complete demise of the tribal ways of Roman society from a slow decline to complete collapse. Their greatest tragedy and trauma they ever faced yet accelerated their need and desire for reform.

It is a solid book. The Rise of Rome by Kathryn Lomas is also good but it only covers 1000 BC - 264 BC.

bookfinder.com/search/?isbn=9780349115634&st=xl&ac=qr

bookfinder.com/search/?isbn=9781846684128&st=xl&ac=qr

This one is a classic (and it's public domain).

gutenberg.org/ebooks/10706

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The use of the members of the body as a metaphor for an assembly appears in Aesop's fables too. I'm sure the apostles must have been quite well versed in both Greek and Jewish literature and folk stories.

History for bedwetters and bookworms, get on Polyibius' level bitches.

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level up

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I'm really enjoying Adrian Goldsworthy.
Caesar: Life of a Colossus was great.
About halfway through Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor right now and it is also excellent.

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>here's the wikipedia page for "roman empire" also all of this is LE BAD because women are hecking oppressed

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came here to say this.
great stuff

Mommsen, and Roman historians themselves. 90% of modern historians are meme tier and know less about the subject than random autists online.

>Adrian Goldsworthy.
>Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor
Good recommendation. I do think his book on Augustus was better than his one about Julius Caesar. His book on The Punic Wars is very good as well.

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>fiction

>90% of modern historians are meme tier and know less about the subject than random autists online.
No.
Most "autists online" take their knowledge from podcasts/youtube videos who in turn take their knowledge from outddated scholarship.
>t. PhD Candidate in History
Dunning Kruger effect is real.

I never said all autists online, I don't deny a ton are retards who just watch epic history podcasts. It's just I remember that time Mary Beard got btfo by some rando.

Amateur historyfags online at least have enthusiasm but yeah they are allergic to reading books and all they do is memorize a few dates from EU4 and watch a few videos about battles.

It sucks because they could become something that isn't represented by academics who are just as bad from the other direction, if they just read books. But you can't make a zoomer read a book. I wish I could pick promising zoomers to lock in a library for a duration of my choosing.

>decline and fall

Decline and fall is not a myth, at least in the west. This guy wrote a series of blog posts talking about how devastating the fall of Rome was for western provinces:

acoup.blog/2022/01/14/collections-rome-decline-and-fall-part-i-words/

>Titus Livius
>Dio Cassius
>Pliny the Elder
>Julius Caesar
>Polybius

The dark ages: 3rd century-6th century

this

Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Wilken

Titus Livius is great to read if you care most about Julius Caesar/Augustus, but the history of Rome does extend for hundreds of years past him.

Caesar and Christ by Will Durant

fr love dis mf he go so mfin fast ion een like dem udda history books only mfing durant he be bussin nocap fr

Satyricon and other nero-era Roman literature is relevant to the world today.

????

Aside from the aforementioned classics I'd recommend pretty much anything by Peter Heather regarding the late antiquity.
But there's so much out there on ancient Rome that it's difficult to compile a list of best resources

Livy can get a bit dry, but the best parts about the Second Punic Wars are the stuff of dreams.

Nero was a proletarian hero and was painted bad by the aristocratic leaning historians.
>oh but they could only exaggerate so much!
Bro have you SEEN the MSM? They turned "Jan 6" from some boomers walking into a building into 9/11 2.0

He basically killed Seneca the younger so fuck that guy. But you're definitely right about the primary sources coming from the hands of senators who didn't think highly of types such as Nero, Domitian, or even Aurelian.

>Aurelian
Name a more overrated Emperor

Diocletian, Justinian

what do you mean by purple?

t. troglodyte

Just posted in another thread it's a midtier decent read. Perfectly illustrates the autism/chad aspects of his life, really makes him an interesting figure

>points out people online are misinformed
>says it's the Dunning Kruger
it's ironic, because you're misinformed about the Dunning Kruger paper

heliogabalus

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>Aurelian
>Restitutor Orbis the unconquered
>overrated
Imagine what Aurelian had done if he that weasly secretary didn't trick his officers into killing him. It's only due to his short reign that he's not considered to be one of the GOATs

Hadrian