Roman History Books and More

book review: 'the poison king' by adrienne mayor

Unfortunately not my own review, I'm greatly backlogged, and my apologies to the author! However, I heartily endorse this BMCR review by none other than Arthur Keaveney.

The book [should] find a wide audience and serve as an attractive introduction to its subject. The title Poison King would seem to suggest that perhaps Mayor, who is a noted authority in the field of ancient poisons, was first drawn to Mithridates because he, too, was a very great expert in such matters. However, Mayor goes far beyond such specialised interests and presents us with a richly detailed narrative of the king and his doings in which she constantly strives to put before us Mithridates' view of events.
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My own (minor) reservation is that there is some repetition that might have been avoided and could have made for a smoother reading. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book immensely during my first read-through.

The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy
Hardcover: 472 pages
Princeton University Press (September 28, 2009)

Also by Adrienne Mayor, and another good read:
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs:
Biological & Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World
Paperback: 336 pages
Overlook TP 2008

a history of the romans in germany as told in stamps

Mainly for German speakers … but you might enjoy the stamps anyway.

Die Römer auf Deutschen Briefmarken

Images are here:

• Stadtjubiläen I
• Stadtjubiläen II
• Andere Städte
• Ereignisse
• Bauwerke
• Fundstücke
• Alltagskultur
• Kulturerbe
• Und sonst
• Was fehlt

Hat tip: Lindsay Powell

some background reading on travel to rome and occupations in the ancient world (II)

Lindsay Powell, who recommends Travel in the Ancient World by Lionel Casson which I listed yesterday, also likes Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome by J.P.V.D. Balsdon, London: The Bodley Head, 1969, which can be had very cheaply on the used book market in the paperback edition of 2004 by Phoenix Press.

There is also Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists (originally published as "Route 66 A.D.") by Tony Perrotett.

some background reading for our march chats on travel to rome and occupations in the ancient world for those who want to know more

Updated 2/20 to add another review of "Roman Woodworking."

On March 3 & 17 we will be reading Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day by Philip Matyzcak and Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World by Vicki Leon.

If you have the time and inclination, here are some other subject related books:

• Travel in the Ancient World
  by Lionel Casson
• A Taste of Ancient Rome
  by Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa
• Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome
  by Lesley & Roy Adkins
• Roman Woodworking
  by Roger B. Ulrich  my review / N.S. Gill's review

        

And then there is Apicius (Wikipedia, handle with care) and the only current online translation, thanks to Bill Thayer.  Yahoo has an Apicius Group.

the cambridge companion to tacitus

The Cambridge Companion to Tacitus (Cambridge Companions to Literature) , A. J. Woodman, Editor, is scheduled to come out in the U.S. in March. Too late for our Tacitus chats …

Table of Content

Hat tip Robert

tacitus: the annals, translation by a.j. woodman, 2004

For those who want to explore Tacitus further and read "The Annals," this, according to the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, seems a good bet:

A.J. Woodman, Tacitus, The Annals. Translated with Introduction and Notes.   Indianapolis and Cambridge:  Hackett, 2004.  Pp. xxx, 412.  ISBN 0-87220-558-4. (Reviewer:  R. B. Rutherford, Christ Church, Oxford)

The appearance of A. J. Woodman's translation of Tacitus' greatest work is an event in classical studies. Few scholars have devoted such close and incisive attention to the Annals, and few since Syme have cared as much or thought as much about the nuances of the author's inimitable style. The most commonly used version of the Annals in the UK, at least, is probably Michael Grant's Penguin Classic (1956), which for all its merits constantly dissatisfies the user (one might single out the irritating neglect of the original book-divisions, the omission of chapter-numbers, visible only in the running heads, the flattening of epigrams, the sacrifice of rhetoric to readability; even the title, The Annals of Imperial Rome, combines inaccuracy with a whiff of Hollywood). Grant has long been ripe for supersession, and W.'s work, well-produced and admirably cheap, is a strong candidate. It will not please every reader, but all will allow that he has given long, hard thought to his task, and has explained his approach fully and unpretentiously. The pages of the introduction devoted to this topic (xxii-vi) repay careful scrutiny by all students of the author, even if they do not wholly endorse W.'s actual practice.  Read on