Pax Romana was great, I love Goldsworthy. His book is a study of the Pax Romana, which runs roughly from the reign of Augustus to the reign of Commodus. SPQR is a history of Rome from its founding to 212 AD, when Caracalla gave citizenship to every free male in the Empire. But you are right that both of these books are trying to deal with broader themes, not narrative history. Beard's book basically just provides snapshots of events or people and then uses those to explore ancient Roman society. Goldsworthy's book is completely thematically organized as I recall.
Interesting comparison. I haven’t read the Goldsworthy book, but I did enjoy Beard’s work. If I recall correctly, she was particularly interested in how citizenship evolved in the empire.
I have dipped into SPQR and it does seem very very readable. And I will definitely be reading it especially for its chronology. But judging by their respective opening gambits however the Goldsworthy did seem to have the better of the fundamentals. As it turns out, so to speak.
Can the person leaving a Dislike for every single one of my videos stop it, out of plain manners if nothing else; or else have the decency to write, here, in each Comments section, what you don't like about them.
Pax Romana was great, I love Goldsworthy. His book is a study of the Pax Romana, which runs roughly from the reign of Augustus to the reign of Commodus. SPQR is a history of Rome from its founding to 212 AD, when Caracalla gave citizenship to every free male in the Empire. But you are right that both of these books are trying to deal with broader themes, not narrative history. Beard's book basically just provides snapshots of events or people and then uses those to explore ancient Roman society. Goldsworthy's book is completely thematically organized as I recall.
Interesting comparison. I haven’t read the Goldsworthy book, but I did enjoy Beard’s work. If I recall correctly, she was particularly interested in how citizenship evolved in the empire.
I have dipped into SPQR and it does seem very very readable. And I will definitely be reading it especially for its chronology. But judging by their respective opening gambits however the Goldsworthy did seem to have the better of the fundamentals. As it turns out, so to speak.
Can the person leaving a Dislike for every single one of my videos stop it, out of plain manners if nothing else; or else have the decency to write, here, in each Comments section, what you don't like about them.