The Fall of the Roman Republic

“Cassius Dio is the last great historian of Rome. The Empire is falling apart by then, because he’s writing in the first part of the 3rd century. What’s coming up is what is known to historians as ‘the Crisis of the Third Century.’ There is going to be this rapid turnover of emperors, and the coins are going to be devalued. The Empire isn’t expanding and has come under new pressures, both in the east and from north of the Alps. So Cassius Dio is writing at a time when things are ending. I think he sensed that, and what he wanted to do was to write the definitive history. He doesn’t just begin with Romulus and Remus, he begins with the legend of Aeneas, and comes up into his own time, which are the best bits of his book. He spent something like 30 years working on it. I think he did ten years of research before he even put pen to papyrus. He served under multiple emperors. He had close contact with Caracalla as well as Elagabalus and gives us insights into those emperors and their rule.” Read more...

The Best Roman History Books

Ross King