Ancient History & Civilisation

The Reach of Rome: A Journey Through the Lands of the Ancient Empire, Following a Coin

The Reach of Rome: A Journey Through the Lands of the Ancient Empire, Following a Coin

In this unconventional and accessible history, Italian best-seller Alberto Angela literally follows the money to map the reach and power of the Roman Empire. To see a map of the Roman Empire at the height of its territorial expansion is to be struck by its size, stretching from Scotland to Kuwait, from the Sahara to the North Sea. What was life like in the Empire, and how were such diverse peoples and places united under one rule? The Reach of Rome explores these questions through an ingenious lens: the path of a single coin as it changes hands and traverses the vast realms of the empire in the year 115. Admired in his native Italy for his ability to bring history to life through narrative, Alberto Angela opens up the ancient world to readers who have felt intimidated by the category or put off by dry historical tomes. By focusing on aspects of daily life so often overlooked in more academic treatments, The Reach of Rome travels back in time and shows us a world that was perhaps not very different from our own. And by following the path of a coin through the streams of commerce, we can touch every corner of that world and its people, from legionnaires and senators to prostitutes and slaves. Through lively and detailed vignettes all based on archeological and historical evidence, Angela reveals the vast Roman world and its remarkable modernity, and in so doing he reinforces the relevance of the ancient world for a new generation of readers.

Preface

ROME ~ Where It All Begins

LONDON ~ Roman Inventions

PARIS ~ When It Was Smaller than Pompeii

TRIER ~ Making the Nectar of the Gods

BEYOND THE RHINE ~ Battling the Barbarians

MILAN ~ Women’s Liberation

REGGIO EMILIA ~ Humor, Seduction, and Adultery

RIMINI ~ A Delicate Operation

THE TIBER ~ Coming into Rome by Water

ROME ~ The Center of the World

CIRCUS MAXIMUS ~ The Secrets of Ben Hur

OSTIA ~ The Real Tower of Babel

SPAIN ~ Rome’s Gold

PROVENCE ~ Beware of Brigands

BAIA ~ Luxury and Licentiousness

THE MEDITERRANEAN ~ Adventure on the Sea

AFRICA ~ An Empire Without Racism

EGYPT ~ Tourists of the Classical World

INDIA ~ Beyond the Borders of the Empire

MESOPOTAMIA ~ An Encounter with Emperor Trajan

EPHESUS ~ Marble for the Empire

BACK TO THE ETERNAL CITY ~ A Journey Through Time

Conclusion

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