Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

From Tom Holland, co-host of the hit podcast THE REST IS HISTORY, a vivid historical account of the social world of Rome as it moved from republic to empire.

"A fascinating picture of Roman city life. . . . In every aspect of this story, Holland expertly makes the Romans, so alien and yet so familiar, relevant to us." -Los Angeles Times

"Stunning. . . . Holland keeps his narrative moving at chariot-race speed." -Newsday

In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon and plunged Rome into cataclysmic civil war. Tom Holland's enthralling account tells the story of Caesar's generation, witness to the twilight of the Republic and its bloody transformation into an empire. From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought thrillingly to life.

Combining verve and freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe, intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition.

Author: Tom Holland
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 03/08/2005
Pages: 408
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.03lbs
Size: 7.96h x 5.24w x 0.95d
ISBN13: 9781400078974
ISBN10: 1400078970
BISAC Categories:
- History | Ancient | Rome
- History | Military | Ancient
- Political Science | History & Theory | General

About the Author
Tom Holland is a historian of the ancient world and a translator. His books include Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, Persian Fire, In the Shadow of the Sword and The Forge of Christendom. He has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for the BBC. In 2007, he was the winner of the Classical Association prize, awarded to "the individual who has done most to promote the study of the language, literature and civilization of Ancient Greece and Rome." He lives in London with his family.
Visit the author's website at www.tom-holland.org.