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.
關於作者:
Tom Holland received a double first from Cambridge. He has
adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio. His
scholarly style is perfect to reposition him as a writer of
non-fiction as well as fiction.