Non-Fiction

erpowers

(9,358 posts) Sun Jan 13, 2013, 06:45 PM Jan 2013

Best Book(s) On the Roman Empire

Can the members of DU give me their suggestions as to the best books about the Roman Empire? I am interested in doing some reading about the Roman Empire, but I imagine there must have been many books written about the subject.

I am looking for books that deal with the rise and fall of the empire, but I am more so focused on the causes of the fall. The book does not have to spell out the causes for me. I would just like a history of what was going on in Rome when the empire eventually fell.

4 replies

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Best Book(s) On the Roman Empire (Original Post) erpowers Jan 2013 OP

A few: bemildred Jan 2013 #1

Thanks, bemildred. kag Jan 2013 #2

My pleasure. bemildred Jan 2013 #3

BTW...2 of those recommendations are FREE on the web dixiegrrrrl Feb 2013 #4

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

1. A few:

Reply to erpowers (Original post)

Mon Jan 14, 2013, 02:41 PM

Jan 2013

Gibbon's "Decline and Fall" of course.
Tacitus "Histories" of course.
"The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians" - - J. B. Bury

After that there are lots of choices, and lots of fictional treatments.

Grousset's "The Empire of the Steppes" is a good treatment of the horse nomads.

kag

(4,108 posts)

2. Thanks, bemildred.

Reply to bemildred (Reply #1)

Tue Jan 15, 2013, 04:31 PM

Jan 2013

I wasn't the OP on this, but I was anxious to see ideas.

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

3. My pleasure.

Reply to kag (Reply #2)

Tue Jan 15, 2013, 06:06 PM

Jan 2013

I found those all good reads, though with Tacitus it depends on the translaton.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,011 posts)

4. BTW...2 of those recommendations are FREE on the web

Reply to erpowers (Original post)

Sat Feb 2, 2013, 12:20 PM

Feb 2013

via pdf or other format downloads which can be read in a good reader such as Calibre, which is also FREE.

I have about 2,000 books in a file on my puter, and many more now on disc, which I read on the monitor with Calibre.

Just Google Tacitus or Gibbons pdf and the links will take you to The Gutenberg project and archive.org, which has thousands of free books.

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