Rubicon
Subtitle: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic
Series: History of Rome, Book 1
Publisher: Abacus; Time Warner Book Group
Published: June 10, 2004
Place of publication: London, England
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 464
ISBN-13: 9780349115634
Copyright date: 2003
Subjects: European history: BCE to c 500 CE; Ancient Rome; History: World
First sentence: In the beginning, before the Republic, Rome was ruled by kings.
Description: The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall.

It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.

Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.
Table of contents: title: Acknowledgements
pagenum: xiii; title: List of Maps
pagenum: xv; title: Note on Proper Names
pagenum: xvii; title: Preface
pagenum: xix; label: Chapter 1
title: The Paradoxical Republic
pagenum: 1; label: Chapter 2
title: The Sibyl’s Curse
pagenum: 32; label: Chapter 3
title: Luck Be a Lady
pagenum: 61; label: Chapter 4
title: Return of the Native
pagenum: 84; label: Chapter 5
title: Fame is the Spur
pagenum: 110; label: Chapter 6
title: A Banquet Of Carrion
pagenum: 154; label: Chapter 7
title: The Debt to Pleasure
pagenum: 184; label: Chapter 8
title: Triumvirate
pagenum: 219; label: Chapter 9
title: The Wings of Icarus
pagenum: 258; label: Chapter 10
title: World War
pagenum: 307; label: Chapter 11
title: The Death of the Republic
pagenum: 349; title: Timeline
pagenum: 392; title: Notes
pagenum: 399; title: Bibliography
pagenum: 409; title: Index
pagenum: 417