Books by Barry Strauss
“Spartacus was originally from Thrace, northeast of Greece, on the Black Sea. It was a land of warrior horsemen that had just been conquered by Rome. Spartacus survived and was welcomed into the Roman cavalry – he fought campaigns in Greece on Rome’s side. He learned Roman-style combat as a legionary in the Roman Empire. But somehow, and we don’t know how this happened, he lost his status. Maybe he was captured, or he was insubordinate, that would seem quite likely. Anyway, he was sold as a slave, and was such a good fighter that he was sent to gladiator school in Italy. There he was trained in brutal fighting skills and became a champion in them – and then he rebelled. He starts with 70 fellow gladiator slaves in Italy, and incites this rebellion which grows until he’s got an army of 60,000” Read more...
The best books on Enemies of Ancient Rome
Adrienne Mayor, Classicist
Interviews where books by Barry Strauss were recommended
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1
The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives
by Plutarch -
2
Pericles of Athens
by Vincent Azoulay -
3
Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher
by Armand D'Angour -
4
Nemesis: Alcibiades and the Fall of Athens
by David Stuttard -
5
Agricola
by Harold Mattingly, James Rives & Tacitus -
6
The Twelve Caesars
by Suetonius and Robert Graves (translator)
Biographies of Ancient Greeks and Romans
Biographies of Ancient Greeks and Romans
The art of biography has been a work in progress down the millennia. These days, leaders are no longer celebrated for the number of enemies killed in war, nor are we as impressed with territorial conquests. Here’s a roundup of all the biographies recommended on Five Books about ancient Greeks and Romans, from contemporary accounts to more recent works.
The best books on Enemies of Ancient Rome, recommended by Adrienne Mayor
Stanford University classics scholar Adrienne Mayor says a comparison between Mithradates, a deadly enemy of the Roman Empire, and Osama bin Laden, who set his sights on the American Empire, is a tempting one.