num_pages: 384
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 life: 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 and the Struggle for Rome
titlecomplete: A Noise of  War: Caesar, Pompey, Octavian and the Struggle for Rome
genres: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History
ratings_count: 68
publisher: Simon & Schuster (NYC et al.)