The Rise of Rome: From the Iron Age to the Punic Wars 1000 BC - 264 BC

「條條大路通羅馬」、「羅馬不是一天建成的」等俚語每個人都可以朗朗上口，也說明了羅馬帝國的影響之廣，就連在世界另一端的亞洲都熟知它的偉大。羅馬不是一天建成的這點大家都知道了，那古羅馬帝國的勢力是怎麼發展起來的呢？在鐵器時代的末期，義大利半島上聚集了一個部落，慢慢地部落越來越強大，王政開始出現，到西元前三世紀，就成為了勢力強大、城裡隨處可見宏偉神殿、華美建築的古羅馬帝國。這本書就是介紹古羅馬文明興起的這一段歷史。古羅馬從部落發展成帝國的過程在書中有詳盡的介紹，也說明羅馬帝國本身龐大複雜的政府體系是如何構成的，並且，因當時古羅馬帝國並非世界上唯一壯大的勢力，作者也另外介紹帝國和其它勢力之間互動的方式。書中有許多羅馬帝國興盛時期的關鍵歷史，也有當時政治、社會發展的狀況，對古羅馬帝國有興趣的讀者都可以在其中獲得許多知識。作者凱特琳‧拉瑪斯是英國杜倫大學古典學的教授和榮譽研究成員，出版了數本關於早期義大利和地中海地區的歷史書。In the late Iron Age, Rome was a small collection of huts arranged over a few hills. By the third century BC, it had become a large and powerful city, with monumental temples, public buildings and grand houses. It had conquered the whole of Italy and was poised to establish an empire. But how did it accomplish this historic transformation?This book explores the development of Rome during this period, and the nature of its control over Italy, considering why and how the Romans achieved this spectacular dominance. For Rome was only one of a number of emerging centres of power during this period. From its complex forms of government, to its innovative connections with other states, Kathryn Lomas shows what set Rome apart. Examining the context and impact of the city's dominance, as well as the key political, social and economic changes it engendered, this is crucial reading for anyone interested in Ancient Rome.