Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire

Download Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136291415
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (362 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire by : Rob Collins

Download or read book Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire written by Rob Collins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is no synthetic or comprehensive treatment of any late Roman frontier in the English language to date, despite the political and economic significance of the frontiers in the late antique period. Examining Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman frontier of northern England from the fourth century into the Early Medieval period, this book investigates a late frontier in transition from an imperial border zone to incorporation into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, using both archaeological and documentary evidence. With an emphasis on the late Roman occupation and Roman military, it places the frontier in the broader imperial context. In contrast to other works, Hadrian’s Wall and the End of Empire challenges existing ideas of decline, collapse, and transformation in the Roman period, as well as its impact on local frontier communities. Author Rob Collins analyzes in detail the limitanei, the frontier soldiers of the late empire essential for the successful maintenance of the frontiers, and the relationship between imperial authorities and local frontier dynamics. Finally, the impact of the end of the Roman period in Britain is assessed, as well as the influence that the frontier had on the development of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria.

Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire

Download Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 041588411X
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (158 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire by : Rob Collins

Download or read book Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire written by Rob Collins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is no synthetic or comprehensive treatment of any late Roman frontier in the English language to date, despite the political and economic significance of the frontiers in the late antique period. Examining Hadrian's Wall and the Roman frontier of northern England from the fourth century into the Early Medieval period, this book investigates a late frontier in transition from an imperial border zone to incorporation into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, using both archaeological and documentary evidence. With an emphasis on the late Roman occupation and Roman military, it places the frontier in the broader imperial context. In contrast to other works, Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire challenges existing ideas of decline, collapse, and transformation in the Roman period, as well as its impact on local frontier communities. Author Rob Collins analyzes in detail the limitanei, the frontier soldiers of the late empire essential for the successful maintenance of the frontiers, and the relationship between imperial authorities and local frontier dynamics. Finally, the impact of the end of the Roman period in Britain is assessed, as well as the influence that the frontier had on the development of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria.

Hadrian's Wall

Download Hadrian's Wall PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 154164445X
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (416 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian's Wall by : Adrian Goldsworthy

Download or read book Hadrian's Wall written by Adrian Goldsworthy and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2018-04-10 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From an award-winning historian of ancient Rome, a definitive history of Hadrian's Wall Stretching eighty miles from coast to coast across northern England, Hadrian's Wall is the largest Roman artifact known today. It is commonly viewed as a defiant barrier, the end of the empire, a place where civilization stopped and barbarism began. In fact, the massive structure remains shrouded in mystery. Was the wall intended to keep out the Picts, who inhabited the North? Or was it merely a symbol of Roman power and wealth? What was life like for soldiers stationed along its expanse? How was the extraordinary structure built -- with what technology, skills, and materials? In Hadrian's Wall, Adrian Goldsworthy embarks on a historical and archaeological investigation, sifting fact from legend while simultaneously situating the wall in the wider scene of Roman Britain. The result is a concise and enthralling history of a great architectural marvel of the ancient world.

Protecting the Roman Empire

Download Protecting the Roman Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108381936
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (83 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Protecting the Roman Empire by : Matthew Symonds

Download or read book Protecting the Roman Empire written by Matthew Symonds and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-12-07 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Roman army enjoys an enviable reputation as an instrument of waging war, but as the modern world reminds us, an enduring victory requires far more than simply winning battles. When it came to suppressing counterinsurgencies, or deterring the depredations of bandits, the army frequently deployed small groups of infantry and cavalry based in fortlets. This remarkable installation type has never previously been studied in detail, and shows a new side to the Roman army. Rather than displaying the aggressive uniformity for which the Roman military is famous, individual fortlets were usually bespoke installations tailored to local needs. Examining fortlet use in north-west Europe helps explain the differing designs of the Empire's most famous artificial frontier systems: Hadrian's Wall, the Antonine Wall, and the Upper German and Raetian limites. The archaeological evidence is fully integrated with documentary sources, which disclose the gritty reality of life in a Roman fortlet.

Roman Britain's Missing Legion

Download Roman Britain's Missing Legion PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 152676573X
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Roman Britain's Missing Legion by : Simon Elliott

Download or read book Roman Britain's Missing Legion written by Simon Elliott and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-03-15 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Examines all the possible fates of the famous IX legion . . . takes you on a fascinating detective journey through all the corners of the Roman Empire.” —History . . . The Interesting Bits! Legio IX Hispana had a long and active history, later founding York from where it guarded the northern frontiers in Britain. But the last evidence for its existence in Britain comes from AD 108. The mystery of their disappearance has inspired debate and imagination for decades. The most popular theory, immortalized in Rosemary Sutcliffe’s novel The Eagle of the Ninth, is that the legion was sent to fight the Caledonians in Scotland and wiped out there. But more recent archaeology (including evidence that London was burnt to the ground and dozens of decapitated heads) suggests a crisis, not on the border but in the heart of the province, previously thought to have been peaceful at this time. What if IX Hispana took part in a rebellion, leading to their punishment, disbandment and damnatio memoriae (official erasure from the records)? This proposed ‘Hadrianic War’ would then be the real context for Hadrian’s ‘visit’ in 122 with a whole legion, VI Victrix, which replaced the ‘vanished’ IX as the garrison at York. Other theories are that it was lost on the Rhine or Danube, or in the East. Simon Elliott considers the evidence for these four theories, and other possibilities. “A great and fascinating read . . . a page turner . . . The book offers some interesting and intriguing ideas around the fate of the Ninth.” —Irregular Magazine “An historical detective story pursued with academic rigour.” —Clash of Steel “A seminal and landmark study.” —Midwest Book Review

Hadrian

Download Hadrian PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674030954
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (39 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian by : Thorsten Opper

Download or read book Hadrian written by Thorsten Opper and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Hadrian, a Roman emperor, the builder of Hadrian's Wall in the north of England, a restless and ambitious man who was interested in architecture and was passionate about Greece and Greek culture. Is this the common image today of the ruler of one of the greatest powers of the ancient world?" "Published to complement a major exhibition at the British Museum, this wide-ranging book rediscovers Hadrian. The sharp contradictions in his personality are examined, previous concepts are questioned and myths that surround him are exploded." --Book Jacket.

The Edge of the Empire

Download The Edge of the Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1681771772
Total Pages : 219 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (817 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Edge of the Empire by : Bronwen Riley

Download or read book The Edge of the Empire written by Bronwen Riley and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-05-03 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AD 130. Rome is the dazzling heart of a vast empire and Hadrian its most complex and compelling ruler. Faraway Britannia is one of the Romans' most troublesome provinces: here the sun is seldom seen and "the atmosphere in the country is always gloomy."What awaits the traveller to Britannia? How will you get there? What do you need to pack? What language will you speak? How does London compare to Rome? Are there any tourist attractions? And what dangers lurk behind Hadrian's new Wall?Combining an extensive range of Greek and Latin sources with a sound understanding of archaeology, Bronwen Riley describes an epic journey from Rome to Hadrian’s Wall at the empire's northwestern frontier. In this strikingly original history of Roman Britain, she evokes the smells, sounds, colors, and sensations of life in the second century.

Living on the Edge of Empire

Download Living on the Edge of Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword Archaeology
ISBN 13 : 1473886449
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Living on the Edge of Empire by : Rob Collins

Download or read book Living on the Edge of Empire written by Rob Collins and published by Pen and Sword Archaeology. This book was released on 2020-05-30 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Beautiful . . . an essential book for anyone with an interest in the material culture of the Roman frontier in its wider context.” —Current Archaeology Dr. Rob Collins and the curators of the remarkable collections from Hadrian’s Wall present a striking new contribution to understanding the archaeology of a Roman frontier. This highly illustrated volume showcases the artifacts recovered from archaeological investigations along Hadrian’s Wall in order to examine the daily lives of those living along the Northern Frontier of the Roman Empire. Presented by theme, no other book offers such a diverse and thorough range of the rich material culture of the Wall. The accompanying text provides an ethnographic perspective, guiding us through the everyday lives of the people of frontier communities, from the Commanding Officer to the local farmer. This holistic view allows us an insight into the homes and communities, how people dressed, what they ate and drank, their religions and beliefs, domestic and military forms of security, and how they conducted their business and pleasure. “With so many of the objects described and set in context in this fine book, it gives no more than a brief bright flash of lives once led, and yet provides such a spark for the imagination.” —Hexham Local History Society Newsletter

Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome

Download Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1588368963
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome by : Anthony Everitt

Download or read book Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome written by Anthony Everitt and published by Random House. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A fascinating insight into the mind of the Roman emperor.”—Sunday Telegraph (London) Born in A.D. 76, Hadrian lived through and ruled during a tempestuous era, a time when the Colosseum was opened to the public and Pompeii was buried under a mountain of lava and ash. Acclaimed author Anthony Everitt vividly recounts Hadrian’s thrilling life, in which the emperor brings a century of disorder and costly warfare to a peaceful conclusion while demonstrating how a monarchy can be compatible with good governance. What distinguished Hadrian’s rule, according to Everitt, were two insights that inevitably ensured the empire’s long and prosperous future: He ended Rome’s territorial expansion, which had become strategically and economically untenable, by fortifying her boundaries (the many famed Walls of Hadrian), and he effectively “Hellenized” Rome by anointing Athens the empire’s cultural center, thereby making Greek learning and art vastly more prominent in Roman life. By making splendid use of recently discovered archaeological materials and his own exhaustive research, Everitt sheds new light on one of the most important figures of the ancient world.

Hadrian's Wall

Download Hadrian's Wall PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN 13 : 1445640341
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (456 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian's Wall by : Patricia Southern

Download or read book Hadrian's Wall written by Patricia Southern and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2016-02-15 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The building, military use and descent into ruin of the most important Roman frontier ever built.

Hadrian

Download Hadrian PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135952264
Total Pages : 415 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (359 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian by : Anthony R Birley

Download or read book Hadrian written by Anthony R Birley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hadrian's reign (AD 117-138) was a watershed in the history of the Roman Empire. Hadrian abandoned his predecessor Trajan's eastern conquests - Mesopotamia and Armenia - trimmed down the lands beyond the lower Danube, and constructed new demarcation lines in Germany, North Africa, and most famously Hadrian's Wall in Britain, to delimit the empire. The emperor Hadrian, a strange and baffling figure to his contemporaries, had a many-sided personality. Insatiably ambitious, and a passionate Philhellene, he promoted the 'Greek Renaissance' extravagantly. But his attempt to Hellenize the Jews, including the outlawing of circumcision, had disastrous consequences, and his 'Greek' love of the beautiful Bithynian boy Antinous ended in tragedy. No comprehensive account of Hadrian's life and reign has been attempted for over seventy years. In Hadrian: The Restless Emperor, Anthony Birley brings together the new evidence from inscriptions and papyri, and up-to-date and in-depth examination of the work of other scholars on aspects of Hadrian's reign and policies such as the Jewish war, the coinage, Hadrian's building programme in Rome, Athens and Tivoli, and his relationship with his favourite, Antinous, to provide a thorough and fascinating account of the private and public life of a man who, though hated when he died, left an indelible mark on the Roman Empire.

Walls

Download Walls PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Scribner
ISBN 13 : 1501172719
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (11 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Walls by : David Frye

Download or read book Walls written by David Frye and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2019-08-27 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A lively popular history of an oft-overlooked element in the development of human society” (Library Journal)—walls—and a haunting and eye-opening saga that reveals a startling link between what we build and how we live. With esteemed historian David Frye as our raconteur-guide in Walls, which Publishers Weekly praises as “informative, relevant, and thought-provoking,” we journey back to a time before barriers of brick and stone even existed—to an era in which nomadic tribes vied for scarce resources, and each man was bred to a life of struggle. Ultimately, those same men would create edifices of mud, brick, and stone, and with them effectively divide humanity: on one side were those the walls protected; on the other, those the walls kept out. The stars of this narrative are the walls themselves—rising up in places as ancient and exotic as Mesopotamia, Babylon, Greece, China, Rome, Mongolia, Afghanistan, the lower Mississippi, and even Central America. As we journey across time and place, we discover a hidden, thousand-mile-long wall in Asia's steppes; learn of bizarre Spartan rituals; watch Mongol chieftains lead their miles-long hordes; witness the epic siege of Constantinople; chill at the fate of French explorers; marvel at the folly of the Maginot Line; tense at the gathering crisis in Cold War Berlin; gape at Hollywood’s gated royalty; and contemplate the wall mania of our own era. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as “provocative, well-written, and—with walls rising everywhere on the planet—timely,” Walls gradually reveals the startling ways that barriers have affected our psyches. The questions this book summons are both intriguing and profound: Did walls make civilization possible? And can we live without them? Find out in this masterpiece of historical recovery and preeminent storytelling.

Hadrian's Wall

Download Hadrian's Wall PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : The Crowood Press
ISBN 13 : 0719821592
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (198 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian's Wall by : Nick Hodgson

Download or read book Hadrian's Wall written by Nick Hodgson and published by The Crowood Press. This book was released on 2017-07-14 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Built around AD122, Hadrian's Wall was guarded by the Roman army for over three centuries and has left an indelible mark on the landscape of northern Britain. It was a wonder of the ancient world and is a World Heritage Site. Written by a leading archaeologist who has excavated widely on the Wall, this is an authoritative yet accessible treatment of the archaeological evidence. The book explains why the expansion of the Roman empire ground to a halt in remote northern Britain, how the Wall came to be built and the purpose it was intended to serve. It is not a guidebook to the remains, but an introduction to the Wall and the soldiers and civilians, men, women and children, who once peopled the abandoned ruins visited by tourists today. Contents include: Historical background to the Wall; How the Wall was built and its appearance on completion; The history of the Wall from Hadrian to the end of Roman Britain; The purpose of the Wall. This introduction to Hadrian's Wall, the most impressive and famous physical reminder of Britain's Roman past, will be of great interest to all students and keen amateurs of Roman history, archaeology and general history, and is profusely illustrated throughout with 60 colour and 30 black & white photographs and 10 Maps.

Hadrian's Wall and Its People

Download Hadrian's Wall and Its People PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 9781904675440
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (754 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hadrian's Wall and Its People by : Geraint Osborn

Download or read book Hadrian's Wall and Its People written by Geraint Osborn and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hadrian's Wall - one of the most prominent monuments of the Roman period in Britain - has a special place in the public imagination. It offers a tangible reminder of our ancient past and a concrete link with the Roman occupation. Visitors can stand amid the remains, knowing that they tread in the footsteps of the soldiers who garrisoned the province. Guides to the Wall have tended to concentrate on the archaeological record, on the Wall's construction and on military organisation. This book folds these aspects into a wider historical, social and economic perspective, providing the general reader with an analysis of how Hadrian's Wall functioned. It describes the impact it had on the lives of both Rome's soldiers and the native population, dealing with the contentious issue of 'Romanisation'. It looks, too, at what happened in Christian communities of the Wall area after the Roman army's departure. Geraint Osborn utilises archaeological evidence, including the content of the remarkable Vindolanda tablets, to give a rounded picture of military life on the Wall. He also considers the role of the monument in the context of Victorian England, a time when parallels were frequently drawn between the Roman and British empires, and how this in turn affected the excavation, preservation and modern presentation of Hadrian's Wall.

Britain and the End of the Roman Empire

Download Britain and the End of the Roman Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Tempus Pub Limited
ISBN 13 : 9780752425320
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (253 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Britain and the End of the Roman Empire by : Ken Dark

Download or read book Britain and the End of the Roman Empire written by Ken Dark and published by Tempus Pub Limited. This book was released on 2002 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The end of the Roman period and the early development of Post-Roman Kingdoms are two of the most important - and most debated - subjects for archaeologists and historians. Questioning many current assumptions, this book presents a radical reinterpretation of Britain in the period 400-600. Drawing attention to far greater similarities between immediately post-Roman Britain and the rest of Europe than previously thought possible, it highlights the importance of fifth-sixth-century Britain in understanding wider themes regarding the end of the Western roman empire as a whole. A very wide range of archaeological and written evidence from the whole of Britain is discussed, rather than focusing on either Anglo-Saxon or Celtic archaeology alone. Burials, settlements and religious centres are brought into the discussion, alongside new material and more obscure data from scattered sources. The final occupation of Roman towns, forts and villas is examined, and post-Roman hill-forts such as Tintagel, Dinas Powys and Cadbury Congresbury is evaluated. Anglo-Saxon and early Christian cemeteries such as Spong Hill and Cannington are considered, and evidence for the earliest British monasteries explored. This book not only offers an exciting new interpretation of Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries AD but is probably the most comprehensive survey of the archaeological and written evidence for the period. It will be indispensable for professional and amateurs archaeologists alike and invaluable for students of British, Roman or Medieval archaeology and history at all levels.

The Origin of Empire

Download The Origin of Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674240235
Total Pages : 465 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (742 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Origin of Empire by : David Potter

Download or read book The Origin of Empire written by David Potter and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2019-07-01 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with the Roman army’s first foray beyond its borders and concluding with the death of Hadrian in 138 CE, this panoramic history of the early Roman Empire recounts the wars, leaders, and social transformations that lay the foundations of imperial success. Between 264 BCE, when the Roman army crossed into Sicily, and the death of Hadrian nearly three hundred years later, Rome became one of the most successful multicultural empires in history. In this vivid guide to a fascinating period, David Potter explores the transformations that occurred along the way, as Rome went from republic to mercenary state to bureaucratic empire, from that initial step across the Straits of Messina to the peak of territorial expansion. Rome was shaped by endless political and diplomatic jockeying. As other Italian city-states relinquished sovereignty in exchange for an ironclad guarantee of protection, Rome did not simply dominate its potential rivals—it absorbed them by selectively offering citizenship and constructing a tiered membership scheme that allowed Roman citizens to maintain political control without excluding noncitizens from the state’s success. Potter attributes the empire’s ethnic harmony to its relative openness. This imperial policy adapted and persisted over centuries of internal discord. The fall of the republican aristocracy led to the growth of mercenary armies and to the creation of a privatized and militarized state that reached full expression under Julius Caesar. Subsequently, Augustus built a mighty bureaucracy, which went on to manage an empire ruled by a series of inattentive, intemperate, and bullying chief executives. As contemporary parallels become hard to ignore, The Origin of Empire makes clear that the Romans still have much to teach us about power, governance, and leadership.

Are We Rome?

Download Are We Rome? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : HMH
ISBN 13 : 0547527071
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (475 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Are We Rome? by : Cullen Murphy

Download or read book Are We Rome? written by Cullen Murphy and published by HMH. This book was released on 2008-05-05 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What went wrong in imperial Rome, and how we can avoid it: “If you want to understand where America stands in the world today, read this.” —Thomas E. Ricks The rise and fall of ancient Rome has been on American minds since the beginning of our republic. Depending on who’s doing the talking, the history of Rome serves as either a triumphal call to action—or a dire warning of imminent collapse. In this “provocative and lively” book, Cullen Murphy points out that today we focus less on the Roman Republic than on the empire that took its place, and reveals a wide array of similarities between the two societies (The New York Times). Looking at the blinkered, insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of bribery in public life; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic through various forms of privatization, Murphy persuasively argues that we most resemble Rome in the burgeoning corruption of our government and in our arrogant ignorance of the world outside—two things that must be changed if we are to avoid Rome’s fate. “Are We Rome? is just about a perfect book. . . . I wish every politician would spend an evening with this book.” —James Fallows