AGEOD Forums

Happily, this is being released just as I'm rereading the Masters of Rome series, which I am enjoying hugely. Although it may not be military enough for some people's tastes...

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

I think Master of Rome serie is be the best related to the game, and the game will fit in the "military holes" that have the books.

But i must to say that the last book, that i am reading now, Anthony and Cleopatra is a lot worse than the others, doestn seem the same writer.

Oh, that's a shame. I say rereading, but I don't have the last one (didn't even know it had been written until I went to reread).

First post here. Long time AGE fan (and pre-ordered AJE this weekend).

I don't know how many of you have tuned into Mike Duncan's 'History of Rome' series, but it's an excellent podcast that can get anyone caught up really fast on the Roman period. His podcast series covers Rome from the founding of the Republic all the way through the fall of Rome in 476. His episodes are digestible and very entertaining as well as educational.

Definitely comes recommended from me. You won't regret grabbing at least a few episodes. Enjoy!

http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/the_history_of_rome/

As far as paper books go, there's always the tried and true ' The Twelve Caesars' by Suetonius. Reads like a late antiquity version of a reality show on acid, but it's still a great peek into the private lives of some of the greatest (and worst) emperors.

Duncan's podcast series should at least make the next couple of weeks 'tolerable' for some of you.

Adrian Goldsworthy (love the family name!) has written numerous good books on Ancient Rome.

Tom Holland, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic.

Warsage wrote:Tom Holland, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic.

He is a reasonably good read, but don't believe everything he says.

Julius Caesar himself was a good writer, but again, don't believe everything he says :-)

Oh, and of course Gibbon's 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', a must read for all students or fans of ancient history. It can be a dry read at times, but there's no forgetting its importance in world literature. The man basically spent his entire life filling in the missing pieces of a time that, at the time, most had forgotten.

I raised this question in a different post in the AJE pre-order thread, but this seems a more appropriate place for this. Perhaps the admin can move reponses to my question in post 44 of that thread to this one?

Give me your advise for my next book after i finish the McCullough series. Rome, Steven Saylor or The eagle on the snow, Wallace Breem?

try it with good translations (hard to find some) of old texts...


Pharsalia ("The Civil War"),
Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus)

i.e. from 1992, Braund, Susan

For the military side of things you could try Stephen Dando Collin's' "Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of every Imperial Roman Legion" ... normally I am not impressed by SDC's books, but this is a fairly good survey of the Legions, their organisation, overall military history and individual potted unit histores.

Much better is Adrian Goldsworthy's "The Complete Roman Army".

Also, an interesting read is "If Rome hadn't Fallen" by Timothy Venning ... maybe you can prevent it, too

Phil McGregor

well the thread does state fiction or non-fiction, so I must say that I quite enjoyed 'Imperium' (rather loosely following the life of Cicero) by Robert Harris.

Nothing earth-shattering, but a good read.

trust me, even contemporary books, back from that days, are mostly fiction.
everyone who .i.e. was forced to translate Iulius Caesar Bel. Gal. knows this...

Plutarch - The Makers of Rome. Got mine from a secondhand bookshop for about a pound.

Perhaps the Scarrow serie, Cato and Macro are soldiers of the Claudio army.

Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy.
Phoenix, Non.Fiction/History,
GBP9.99.

I purchased this in WH Smiths circa 12 months ago.