Ancient Rome has always been a favorite era in history of mine to learn about and the effects of how Ancient Rome functioned is still very clearly present to this very day. Rome’s story is full of power, politics, perseverance, culture, expansion, war and more. Now, you can go ahead and watch some movies and read a few articles online, but if you want a real and in-depth understanding of Ancient Rome in order to do some proper research, then you’ll want to take a look at the many books written by well-known and popular historians who have dedicated their studies to this amazing era in history. Today, I’ve compiled a list of ten of the best history books to learn about Ancient Rome.
The list will cover Rome’s culture, military prowess, conquests, its rise and its fall and so much more. Hopefully you’ll enjoy these books and learn a bit about Ancient Rome along the way!
(Affiliate disclosure: some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you when you purchase something through one of my links).
1. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy
If you want a gold-standard Ancient Rome historian, it would definitely need to be Adrian Goldsworthy. His book, Pax Romana, covers one of the most defining parts of Rome’s history: its long period of peace and prosperity.
Goldsworthy’s book goes into how Rome was able to maintain control over such a vast area of land and keep the peace for nearly two centuries. He takes a close look at how Rome governed its lands, what military strategies it used and more. He also examines the truth about Pax Romana and how Rome wasn’t all that peaceful towards others in its expansion of the empire.
He examines if our image of Pax Romana is true or not and he recounts the stories of many rebellions and how Rome really was in this era. There’s a lot of history to cover and it can feel a bit overwhelming because Goldsworthy does write from a historian’s perspective, but it’s an interesting read if you want to learn more about Rome anyways.
You can buy Pax Romana over at Amazon right now!
2. Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy
If there’s one figure who is notably the most iconic in Ancient Rome, it has to be Julius Caesar. Adrian Goldsworthy wrote a great book that details Caesar’s life, his rise to power, his military campaigns, and his role in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire (they’re actually different eras of Ancient Rome).
It’s really interesting to read about Caesar if you’re curious on creating a character that sort of embodies this idea of a conqueror and military genius. Goldsworthy also goes into Caesar’s political life and how he transformed Rome in general. It’s a great read if you’re interested in an in-depth look at Caesar’s life.
You can buy Caesar over at Amazon!
3. Legions of Rome by Stephen Dando-Collins
Now, if you’re more interested in the military aspects of Ancient Rome more than just the people or the general life in Rome, then you definitely want to check out Stephen Dando-Collins’ Legions of Rome. This book covers a ton of information about Rome’s military power, including its history, the military structure, the battles that defined the legion, and more.
If you’re more of someone that is interested in military history and you want to learn about one of history’s most important armies, then Legions of Rome should definitely be something to check out.
You can buy Legions of Rome over at Amazon right now!
4. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard
Pop history tends to get a bad rap because of the inconsistencies and misinformation that is sometimes spread from them in the name of entertainment over historical accuracy, but Mary Beard definitely does not fall into that category of pop history. In fact, her book, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome is one of the best overviews of Ancient Roman history that makes it super accessible to anyone who isn’t super used to reading books about history.
SPQR details a comprehensive overview of Rome and dives into things like the social, political, and cultural aspects of Rome and what life was like back in Ancient Rome as well. It’s definitely a great read!
You can buy SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome over at Amazon right now!
5. The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan
Mike Duncan takes a look into the years that precede the fall of the Roman Republic and how the stage was set for this fall including the political instability, the social unrest and the economic challenges that plagued Roman society and politics. His style is great and easier to read for people who aren’t used to reading a lot of history books.
The Storm Before the Storm is a perfect book for people who are more interested in how Rome began to fall and how these sorts of things can happen to major empires.
You can buy The Storm Before the Storm over at Amazon right now!
6. The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
If you want more of an eye-witness into the lives and actions of Roman emperors, then The Twelve Caesars is a great resource to use. The book covers the biographies of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Caligula, and other Roman emperors that defined the landscape of Ancient Rome.
Suetonius depicts historical facts and anecdotes that helps to bring these historical figures to life. His work is not so much just pure historical fact, but also eye-witness accounts, which is a great thing to have because you get an understanding of these people from the perspective of other people.
You can buy The Twelve Caesars over at Amazon!
7. The Early History of Rome by Livy
Livy’s documentations on Ancient Rome is a great resource to use as it is quite comprehensive and is a great ancient source on how Ancient Rome was. The published works of Livy covers the period from Rome’s founding to the establishment of the Roman Republic.
Not all of Livy’s works have survived into the modern day, but there is still a lot of information in his books on Rome’s early wars, politics, and societal changes. If you want to understand more about how Rome developed, then The Early History of Rome is a perfect choice.
You can buy The Early History of Rome over on Amazon right now!
8. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is another great work if you want to learn about how the world of Rome fell from the height of the Roman Empire to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. He analyzes how things like political corruption, economic problems, and military defeats, among other things, contributed to the fall of the world of Rome.
If you’re more interested in the fall of Rome and want more than The Storm Before the Storm, then you definitely want to check out Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
You can check out The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire over at Amazon right now!
9. In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire by Adrian Goldsworthy
Another book by Goldsworthy is In the Name of Rome, which focuses on significant military leaders who played an important and crucial role in how Rome was expanded. You get details on people like Scipio Africanus, Caesar, and Germanicus, as well as others, and you learn more about their strategies, their battles, and their leadership qualities. Goldsworthy’s work is great at showing how these generals provided a lot to Rome and how they shaped the military might of one of the greatest empires in history.
You can buy In the Name of Rome over at Amazon right now!
10. The Rise of Rome by Anthony Everitt
If you want to learn a bit more about the iconic figures of Ancient Roman history and you want to see how Rome grew over time and became a full-fledged empire, then you definitely want to check out Everitt’s The Rise of Rome. It’s great for those who are still new to reading about Roman history and there’s a great deal of information packed into this book that provides a well-rounded overview of Rome.
It has many names featured in In the Name of Rome, so it should definitely help you learn more about those important figures as well!
You can buy The Rise of Rome over at Amazon right now!
Conclusion
Ancient Rome spanned across a very, very long period of time and the history of it is vast and full of details. There are things that we still don’t know much about, but these ten books I listed are definitely a great way to learn about Rome from the overviews to the smaller details. I think that reading about history is a great way to broaden one’s knowledge and it can actually improve your writing quality because you actually learn how people thought and how things worked in ancient times. It’s important to understand history, especially the history of one of history’s most important eras.
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