Wholesome History Reads Group discussion

Welcome!
This is a thread for ancient history books. It could be Egyptian History, Roman, Greek, etc. If you are a fan of ancient history, then this is the thread for you.

Another favourite period of history! I am waiting for this book to be released:


The Roman Army: A History 753 BC Ad 476 by Patricia Southern

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Another favourite period of history! I am waiting for this book to be released:


[book:The Roman Army: A History 753 BC Ad 476|22216896..."

Nice! I've added it to my TBR list, too.

I just finished

Justinian’s Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe

I haven't typed up my complete thoughts yet, but I thought it was a pretty good overview of the history of the "Roman" Empire from Constantine through Justinian, with a short epilogue continuing the history through the rise of Muslems

(view spoiler)[the main thesis revolves around the first great Bubonic plague that occurred late in Justinian's reign and caused the manpower shortage that led to the Byzantium's loss of much of the middle east to the Muslems. (hide spoiler)]

Yesterday I finished Byzantium: The Decline and Fall by John Julius Norwich. Wonderful book, and unless my memory is tricking me, it meets all the requirements in the group rules.

Here are my thoughts, for anyone interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

An excellent book and great review A.L. thanks for sharing. His trilogy on Byzantium have become some of my favourite series of history books.

@A.L. Thanks for sharing! The book sounds great! I'll add it to the group shelves right away. Nice review as well. Cheers!

Thanks Aussie Rick and Ethan. Now to find time to read the first two . . .

Glad you enjoyed in A.L. The first two in the trilogy are every bit as good!

I have lightly used hardback copies of both in my library. Lately I've read more ebooks, but paper books certainly make it easier to flip to the maps.

Here's a book I've been meaning to get around to read . Anyone read it?

No but I have a copy in my library waiting to be read :)

How come I'm not surprised?

happy wrote: "How come I'm not surprised?"

One of the laws of nature I think :)

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "No but I have a copy in my library waiting to be read :)"

Let me know how the book is when you've read it :)

I've started this massive volume on the Peloponnesian War:

The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

Here is a great story of an incident that occurred during one of the many vicious fights for political power in Rome between the forces of Lucius Opimius and Gaius Gracchus. During the final struggle between these two men Opimius offered a bounty of gold for the heads of Flaccus and Gaius - the amount of gold determined by the weight of the head. After a scuffle Gaius was finally cornered and subsequently stabbed to death:

"After his body was found, Gaius's head was duly cut off and secured by a savvy former supporter. The erstwhile Gracchan carried the head home and 'bored a hole in the neck, and drawing out the brain, poured in molten lead in its place.' Then he carefully 'stuck the head of Gaius on a spear and brought it to Opimius, and when it was placed in a balance it weighted seventeen pounds and two thirds.' Opimius paid in full."

From the book:

The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan

From the same book, details of a great battle against the Cimbri with the Romans under the command of the great Marius:

"The casualties of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae were massive: somewhere between one hundred and two hundred thousand dead, including plenty of civilians caught up in the bloody chaos. Rather than fall into slavery, mothers 'dashed their children upon the rocks and then took their own lives by the sword or by hanging.' It was later said that the local inhabitants of the region 'fenced their vineyards round with the bones of the fallen, and that the soil, after the bodies had wasted away in it and the rains had fallen all winter upon it, grew so rich and became so full to its depths of the putrefied matter that sank into it, that it produced an exceeding great harvest in later years'."

Battle of Aquae Sextiae:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...

That's some grim reading Rick - although I did get a laugh out off the story about Gaius's supporter. Making the best of a bad thing?

Jonny wrote: "That's some grim reading Rick - although I did get a laugh out off the story about Gaius's supporter. Making the best of a bad thing?"

That's very true Jonny :)

The final battle between the Cimbri and the Romans took place at the Raudian Plain:

"For the Cimbri the battle turned into a rout. The blinding sun gave way to a huge cloud of dust that blinded them, and they found themselves under relentless attack from multiple sides. The warriors began to flee but their own mothers and wives would not allow them to escape. Standing behind the front line, 'the women, in black garments, stood at the wagons and slew the fugitives - their husbands or brothers or fathers, then strangled their little children and cast them beneath the wheels of the wagons or the feet of the cattle, and then cut their own throats.' The Battle of the Raudian Plain spelled the end of the Cimbri - they left 120,000 dead on the plain and the survivors were enslaved."

The Battle of the Raudian Plain:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...

The final battle between Sulla and his opponents, the Battle of the Colline Gate:

https://www.unrv.com/empire/sullas-ci...

A bit of psychological warfare on Sulla's behalf, as the Roman senate come out to speak to him Sulla had ordered six thousand Samnite prisoners to be herded into the adjacent Circus Flaminius:

"As Sulla began reading his report on the Mithridatic War to the Senate, his men surrounded the six thousand prisoners in the Circus Flaminius and methodically massacred them. Their screams were impossible to ignore inside the Temple of Bellona, and the dumbfounded senators were horrified. But Sulla bade them to please continue to listen to his remarks and 'not concern themselves with what was going on outside, for it was only that some criminals were being admonished'."

In my book on Ancient Greece the author had a chapter on women and sexuality and he discussed typical Greek life but also the freedoms allowed Spartan women, especially their standard of dress:

"Spartan women were allowed to dress lightly, in a way that seemed immodest to other Greeks, who called them 'thigh-flashers'."

Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient Greece by Robin A.H. Waterfield

Naughty girls!! For some reason I could never seem to get interested in Ancient History and I know there are all kinds of great books out there. Maybe I need to expand my reading tastes.

It never hurts Jill :)

If you decide to venture into Ancient history may I suggest you look at some of Tom Holland's books:

Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West by Tom Holland

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland

Another one of my all time favourites on Ancient Rome is this title:

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

Or if you have a specific period or person your interested in let me know.

The author also mentioned a battle know in history as the "Tearless battle" which was fought between the Spartans on one side and the Arcadians and Argives on the other in 368 B. C. Not a Spartan fell In the engagement, and so, Plutarch says, the Lacedaemonians called It the Tearless battle.

The Hoplite:
http://asmalltowninlaconia.tripod.com...

If I decide to read one, it will probably be the Rubicon one. It is better if I start with something of which I am familiar (slightly!!).

I've read this before but its too good a story not to quote again:

"It is said that when Octavian, the future Roman emperor Augustus, entered the Egyptian capital, Alexandria, he honoured the tomb of Alexander the Great with offerings of a golden crown and flowers. When he was asked if he would like to see the tombs of the Ptolemies as well, he refused, saying that 'he wanted to see a king, not corpses'."

But then Alexander's legacy 'created' Ptolemy I from one of his generals so perhaps Octavian wasn't impressed by their credentials? Of course, there were there the rumors about Ptolemy's bloodline....

Octavian didn't see them as obtaining the same heights as Alexander the Great. They served under Alexander but never out did him in his conquests.

The author mentions the great battle between Alexander's Successors:

" .... Once Seleucus arrived, battle was joined at Ipsus in Phrygia. Each side was commanded by two kings and fielded about eighty thousand men; all the peoples of the empire were represented. It was the greatest battle of the Successors and the most significant. If the Antigonids won, they would soon have the entirety of Alexander's empire."

The Battle of Ipsus:
http://indiandefence.com/threads/grea...

http://turningpointsoftheancientworld...

My book has a beautiful picture of the Ludovisi Gaul:

http://www.slatermuseum.org/cast/gaul...

Picked up a nice hardback edition of this 1990 title:

The Limits Of Empire: The Roman Army In The East by Benjamin H. Isaac

Alexander the Great at War: His Army - His Battles - His Enemies ed. by Ruth Sheppard

An affordable companion to Robin Lane Fox, in my opinion.

Good review Dimitri. I quite liked Robin Lane Fox's account of Alexander the Great. His book was one of the earliest books that I read on the subject.

I've started Tom Holland's book; "Dynasty". I usually enjoyed his books a great deal so I am looking forward to this one:

Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar by Tom Holland

Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor

Finished up this excellent read a couple days ago. Everitt gives a good overall perspective of one of Rome's most influential leaders. Very happy I read this and I'm looking forward to more of his writing. This work takes many accounts from Suetonius (who wrote the 12 Caesars which I also recommend) which makes valid backing for the claims in the book.

It is a good book, glad you enjoyed it as well. Which of his books are you thinking of reading next?

I’ve got “The Rise of Rome” sitting next to my bed along with too many other books I want to read lol, I’m hoping to get to it by the end of August at most

Way too many good books to read eh Ethan! :)

I used my last Christmas gift voucher today and came home with a copy of this book:

Brutus: The Noble Conspirator by Kathryn Tempest

And look what arrived yesterday afternoon:

Rome Resurgent: War and Empire in the Age of Justinian by Peter Heather

I'm keen to read this book but it may have to wait till I get back from overseas in July :)

Today I dropped my wife off at a craft class - I went to the local shopping mall for a coffee and muffin and look what I found to bring home:

The Story of Greece and Rome by Tony Spawforth

You'd think Mrs Rick would know by now....
Looks like a good one.

I'm hoping it's a good account. I did take the time to sit down in a nice leather reading chair in the book shop and have a long and decent browse through the book (my wife said why didn't I just read it I the shop) before I decided to make the purchase.

Today I received my copy of Stephen Fry's latest book that follows on from "Mythos":

Heroes by Stephen Fry

I really enjoyed "Mythos" so I am looking forward to reading his new book.

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

I try very hard not to buy books just before Christmas but I just couldn't pass this one up. I conducted an internet search for reviews prior to buying my copy to make sure it was worth while, all 5 star reviews on multiple sites.

Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt by Chris Naunton

Plus this arrived at the Post Office box this morning:

The World of Herodotus by Aubrey de Sélincourt
(1962 HB edition)

Just finished an enjoyable chapter on young Alexander's first campaigns against the Illyrian tribes of what is modern-day Albania:

http://historian-hut-articles.blogspo...

https://makedonia-alexandros.blogspot...

Alexander the Great: His Life and His Mysterious Death by Anthony Everitt

Have heard about this campaign, but didn't realize that Alexander relied so much on psychology to affect his opponents, but that makes sense considering how later on he was continually fighting with less men than his opponents, especially against Darius.

Just finished reading the chapter on the Battle of the Granicus in my book on Alexander the Great.

The Battle of the Granicus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...

https://www.livius.org/articles/battl...