Prophete En Proces/a Prophet In Law Teilhard De Chardin Dans L'eglise De Son Temps/teilhard ... Book

The book is a long, sometimes satisfying, and sometimes complicated journey across Roman History. We are presented with around 1300 years of the state that in so many ways laid the foundation for most of western culture. We see not only Rome’s history as the description of their political expansion, wars and loses, but also, of their culture and legacy. Although it is divided in many chapters, the author roughly divides the book In different epochs of the Roman Empire, the most interesting and well written parts were the small introduction to the people inhabitant Italy at the time of the creation of Rome and its first years under kings, with very interesting description of Italic people and of the Indo-European expansion into Italy and the early republic; the chapter on the third century crisis offers a very well narrated recount of the many rebellions and emperors without rendering it a bunch of names and successors only. The last chapters become a bit confusing and feels very shallow in comparison to the first ones, theology controversies and emperors takes the center away from the roman people.

In each state there is an exhaustive description of the different periods’ contexts. Outside events and kingdoms takes a greater part in the narrative for the republic as in the Empire, as well as different people, specially wealthy Romans and the senatorial class takes a much lower paper in the Empire, eclipsed by the deeds and intrigues of the emperors and military leaders. Some epochs probably due to sources are better described than others. We get a great deal of information from the main actors of the republic and into Augustan time, getting lower with each new emperor to a point that just some paragraphs are devoted to each, some of these sections are poorly written.

Nonetheless, one still can read about every big/known event and aftermath of the different wars that brought up Rome into its early expansion and later empire. Moreover, on each of the sections, after the chronology of events is explained and comment on with ancient and modern sources the author dives into the life of the Romans, their political structures, their own beliefs and costumes, not only in religion but also in literature, work, economy, architecture, etc.

One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the description of the ancient sources commented by the author at the beginning of each chapter and the realization that so many works are known to be written; with invaluable information for most of the periods discussed by the author and yet, we only know that they existed, as either just small parts of them came into our days or none at all. The dark ages and middle ages before the renaissance did left a dark stain in the literature of ancient times.

As this book is already the Sixth edition from its original issue decades ago, some passages could feel out of place, one of this and rather outrageous is the use of Indochina to refer to a geographical place in the middle of the XXI Century. The book can be read only for the interested periods or as a bulk, but as the Roman History, it is very massive for the whole thing. Nonetheless seems to be the perfect book for anyone knowing or not knowing much of the Romans, and because of its structure it works also well for people interested in specific knowledge.