Matthew Bunson
1994
ISBN: 081602135X
English
PDF
690 pages
The Roman Empire is known for its extraordinarily rich cultural legacy. This encyclopaedia provides comprehensive and interdisciplinary coverage of the people, places, events and ideas of this remarkable period. Spanning almost 500 years of turmoil and triumph, each of the nearly 2000 entries in this second edition has been reviewed and updated to reflect advances in archaeology, historical and literary criticism, and social analysis. New entries have been added on daily life, engineering, science, law and the role of women in Roman society, among others. Complementing these historical essays are photographs, maps, tables and sidebars; reading lists for major entries; an updated bibliography; and a revised index.
It has been written that Rome was not built in a day - and did not fall in one span of the sun, either. These maxims lie at the very heart of Roman studies, because they imply an important reality, that the culture and state of Rome were part of a gradual historical process, shaped by many internal and external influences. As a consequence, the subject of Roman history, even a seemingly limited aspect such as the imperial epoch, is a complex one. It involves a host of subjects, figures, ideas and interrelated themes. Even the answering of simple questions proves extremely difficult due to the amount and variety of information scattered in hundreds of volumes.
The Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire is the first comprehensive A-to-Z reference to this period. It covers the most important personalities, terms and sites that played a part in Roman evolution from the period of Julius Caesar and the Gallic Wars (59-51 B.C.) to the fall of the Empire in the West (476 A.D.). Clearly, the size and the sheer number of the entries may prove a daunting challenge to readers unfamiliar with the subject. With this in mind, several steps have been taken to make the use of the book easier. Following this introduction, readers will find a timeline covering the major events that are treated in the text. It is recommended that these charts be studied first, to make the general history of Rome clearer and to place it in a proper historical perspective. The timeline serves as the first bridge to the entries that receive more detailed treatment in the A-to-Z section. A brief glossary of terms and words frequently used in the encyclopedia appears in the back of the book, and can be used to introduce the reader to a few concepts and the many titles that are so much a part of imperial Roman history. Familiar with these, the reader can better understand the material offered in each entry.
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