Description
In Blood in the Forum, Pamela Marin offers a fresh and illuminating perspective on the complexities of the late Republic and the rise of Octavian. The book deals with how Roman politics, the desire for personal glory, and the inadequacies of the Republican system ultimately led to Caesar’s dictatorship.
Marin assigns a crucial role to Cato the Younger in the political narrative, which differs from conventional views, but allows for a clearer understanding of the allegiances of the civil war and the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March 44 BCE. Drawing from the most recent scholarship, this engaging narrative pulls the reader into the ancient Roman world, presenting the tragedy of the Roman Republic in its true light.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1: What it was to be Roman 2: A Blueprint for Civil War? Sulla and the 80s BCE 3: The Up and Coming Generation Rome in the 70s BCE 4: Hopes for the Future: Rome in the 60s BCE 5: Rome in Crisis? The Catilinarian Conspiracy in 63 BCE 6: A 'First' Triumvirate? Rome in the late 50s BCE 7: Violence in Republican Rome: The Truth of the Early 50s BCE 8: Civil War: Caesar versus Cato 9: Caesar's Death and the Fall of the Republic
Author(s)
Pamela Marin,
Pamela Marin studied at NYU, Wadham College, Oxford and completed her PhD at University College, Dublin. Previously a Senior Tutor in the Department of Classics at UCD, she lives in Ireland.
Reviews
'Ambitious in scope ... [provides] a fresh focal point for examining the late Republic ... The material is clearly and succinctly presented ... clear prose and logical order.' - Bryn Mawr Classical Review
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Shortlisted for the Longman/History Today Book of the Year Award 2009
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"Blood in the Forum is a worthy addition to the world history shelves."
-James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review, 2009
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"Includes interesting vignettes about what being a Roman meant, aristocratic politics and competition, the role of violence in Roman politics, and so on...Summing Up: Recommended."
-J. de Luce, CHOICE, June 2010
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