The Roman Empire is no more. A fitting place to start, for anyone at all
interested in Roman history, is the end of the Roman Republic. From
the praetorian guard auctioning off the position of emperor to the
highest bidder to Caracalla attaining sole power in Rome and
obliterating his brother Geta's name from mention, the final days of the
Empire were eventful. The Severan
emperors were those in control at the fitful end. Whether a blessing
or a curse, history will always look apon the Arch of Severus and
remember the fall of Rome. For a rather more in depth look, there is selections from
Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Originally a
six-volume monstrosity (although good reading, all of it) this is an
indexed list of selections from the work and is an excellent source of
information as a starting point for readings from Gibbon's work.
For a very brief history of Rome, there are many sources. From the founding of Rome in 510 BCE to the eventual fall in the era of the Severan Emperors, there is a lot of ground. See our page on Roman politics for more on the Severan Emperors and others. A brief timeline of Rome may be helpful in getting dates straight. Searching for a lesser-known date? A more comprehensive timeline may be of use. Rome, being the wonderful, complex microcosm of humanity that became the subject of study of so many future generations, was nonetheless sometimes very dangerous. One of the most dangerous times to the typical citizen was during the Roman civil war. Marius and Sulla explain many of the causes of this internal conflict between the great city and herself.
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Last updated: 16 July 1997 Send Comments to: Eleanor Rodgers, erodgers@uclink4.berkeley.edu Copyright © 1997 UVM Classics Department All Rights Reserved. |