“The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire”, by Nigel Rodgers with contributions by Dr. Hazel Dodge, FSA

 

511 pages, Hermes House, ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1782143390

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire by Nigel Rodgers with contributions by Dr. Hazel Dodge, FSA (whatever the hell that means) is one of those big, splashy history books intended for the general reader or amateur historian wanting to know everything there is to know about ancient Rome up to the fall of the Western Empire; a coffee table book, as it were, assuming coffee tables are still a thing. Its full of pictures and maps and sidebars and so on, and is one of those great books to flip through on a whim and absorb this tidbit of information or that, not necessarily to sit down and read like a proper book. What it is not is a comprehensive, in-depth study of “the most important and influential civilization the world has ever known”. But that’s okay; it’s not meant to be.

The reason the authors gave their book such a grandiose and controversial subtitle is because, in their telling, Rome is with us still, at least in the West. The Latin language pervades all aspects of Western Culture, especially in the law; the contours of the Roman Empire influenced and affected the way in which the nations of Europe were founded and grew; Roman Art, with its emphasis on realism and showing the world the way it is, directed the development of Western Art right through to the modern day (it even affects those artists who turn their back on it); Roman politics and customs shaped the politics and customs of Europe to the point that All Things Roman became the watchword for the Great and the Good. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire is a great place for anyone seeking a starting place of this so-important dead nation