military | The Death of Carthage

Quora Question: Is the Roman Republic Similar to the Modern American Republic

February 18, 2019 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

No. It is a very dicey proposition to compare any modern republic to the pre-industrial society of Rome. The founding fathers of the U.S. had some admiration for Roman political forms and took some of the ideas of the Greek historian Polybius in account in establishing the political institutions of the new republic. Polybius pointed […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Political Tagged With: Ancient Rome, Democracy, founding fathers, Gaius Marius, military, monarchy, oligarchy, Robin Levin, Roman Republic, United States. Polybius

Legionary: The Roman Soldier’s (Unofficial) Manual by Philip Matyszak

May 12, 2014 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

Anyone writing historical fiction or non-fiction about ancient Rome would do well to read Legionary, the Roman Soldier’s (Unofficial) Manual. This book tells all of the ins and outs of the Roman army-recruitment, training, gear, working conditions, benefits and drawbacks, possible assignments and promotion opportunities, various places you may be sent to, characteristics of possible […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Book Review Tagged With: Caesar, Dacia, Judea, military, Polybius, Romania, rome, Trajan

Book Review: The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy

August 26, 2012 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

Reading ancient Historians like Livy and Polybius is enlightening and fascinating for anyone who wants to get an understanding of how people saw the world in ancient times, but it can be slow going. Livy frequently goes into long discourses about prodigies that were seen at critical times and the religious rites that were undertaken […]