Review by Choice Review
Marin presents yet another discussion of the violent final years of the Roman Republic from the Gracchi brothers to the assassination of Julius Caesar. The author's thesis is not exactly new or surprising. For example, her comments in the conclusion about army changes under Marius can be found in other more persuasive sources. However, she includes interesting vignettes about what being a Roman meant, aristocratic politics and competition, the role of violence in Roman politics, and so on. The text will be hard to follow and the argument difficult to appreciate except by those who already are very familiar with the period and conversant in Augustus's program. Nonetheless, Marin's conclusion is worth evaluating; Caesar's assassination did not spell the death of the republic. Rather, Augustus ended the republic by "gradually eroding its traditions." Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. de Luce Miami University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This book presents both a popular account of the events leading to the fall of the Roman Republic and a reappraisal of the actions of Cato the Younger and his faction. The result is a somewhat uneven text, but Marin (previously lecturer in Classics, University Coll. Dublin) ably summarizes the last two decades of research on Cato, on whom she did her doctoral work. Her conclusion is that while the senate of the late Republic was indeed corrupt and ineffective at governing, this did not inevitably lead to the Republic's fall. Rather, Marin sees the clash between Cato and Caesar as illustrative of Caesar's disregard for the Republic and its ideals, embodied by Cato. The first section introduces the culture and religion of the late Republic, as well as the contemporary sources, and then traces the events leading up to the fall. Overall, the book requires background knowledge of the ancient world and maintains a serious tone, which makes it best for students or those already familiar with Roman history.-Margaret Heller, Dominican Univ. Lib., River Forest, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
