description: Thru civil wars &amp; world conflicts, the Roman Republic had survived 400 years, it stretching from Spain to Syria &amp; beyond. But at the millennium, it seemed about to buckle. An entrenched Senate wouldn't &amp; couldn't respond to the nation's precipitous decline; its leaders, locked in the status quo &amp; fighting for privilege, were talking reform to death. As the Republic careened to the brink of ruin, the battlelines were drawn by three figures, all larger than Caesar, the bold, rash general; Cicero, the greatest orator of his time; &amp; Pompey, a brilliantly successful campaigner, were locked in a fierce struggle for Rome's future. The contest began with debate in the Forum but led soon to violent riots, then armed revolt on the battlefield &amp; bloodshed on the Senate steps. In the end, it was Octavian, Caesar's clever nephew &amp; unmerciful political heir, who would claim victory. Rome was poised at the dawn of the Augustan Age. In a rich, scrupulously researched narrative history, Langguth captures this epic drama &amp; brings to life the towering figures of the time. Capitalizing on a wealth of primary materials--from Caesar's war stories to Cicero's most intimate letters--he's gone to the heart of the political intrigues, calculated alliances &amp; mortal rivalries that now seem especially vibrant &amp; contemporary. We see Caesar, the aristocrat who championed the people's causes but was accused of wanting to be king, as he contends with Cicero, a newcomer to Rome with a sharp tongue but also a fatal eagerness to please patricians. Drawn into their struggle were Brutus, Pompey, Cassius, Mark Antony &amp; the eventual victor, Octavian--lobbying causes, brokering deals, leading armies &amp; grabbing at power. A Noise of War goes from Caesar's battlefields in Britannia to Cleopatra's Alexandrian bedroom.
language: English
title: A Noise of War: Caesar, Pompey, Octavian & the Struggle for Rome
titlecomplete: A Noise of War: Caesar, Pompey, Octavian & the Struggle for Rome
genres: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History
ratings_count: 68
publisher: Recorded Books