5 Spectacular Roman Republic Books for You Now
Book ListsThe Roman Republic (end of 6th century BCE to 1st century BCE) is the term given typically to the period of Roman civilization from the end of Rome’s rule by kings until the rise of Rome’s first emperor, Augustus.
Check out our curation of five of the best books on the Roman Republic. Links to purchase or find a copy in your library are available for each book listing. (Note: books are listed in reverse-chronological order).
For books on Roman civilization more generally, check out our Ancient Rome book list or our other other Roman book lists. Also, check out our book list on the period following the Republic, known as the Roman Empire, or see our other book lists.
1. Yarrow, Liv Mariah. The Roman Republic to 49 BCE: Using Coins as Sources. Cambridge University Press, 2021.
publisher description
A richly-illustrated introduction to the various ways in which coins can help illuminate the history of the Roman republic.
The narrative of Roman history has been largely shaped by the surviving literary sources, augmented in places by material culture. The numerous surviving coins can, however, provide new information on the distant past. This accessible but authoritative guide introduces the student of ancient history to the various ways in which they can help us understand the history of the Roman republic, with fresh insights on early Roman-Italian relations, Roman imperialism, urban politics, constitutional history, the rise of powerful generals and much more. The text is accompanied by over 200 illustrations of coins, with detailed captions, as well as maps and diagrams so that it also functions as a sourcebook of the key coins every student of the period should know. Throughout, it demystifies the more technical aspects of the field of numismatics and ends with a how-to guide for further research for non-specialists.
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Liv Mariah Yarrow is an Associate Professor of Classics at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her previous books include Historiography at the End of the Republic: Provincial Perspectives on Roman Rule (2006) and Polybius, Imperialism and Cultural Politics (edited with Christopher Smith, 2012). She co-directs, with Lucia Carbone, the Roman Republican Die Project at the American Numismatic Society and her ongoing research includes classical reception, the Roman Republican representation of kings, and the metallurgy and metrology of early Roman bronze coinage. At Brooklyn College she specializes in interactive large general education courses presenting Classics to a modern audience.
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2. Flower, Harriet I., ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
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The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic examines all aspects of Roman history and civilization from 509 to 49 BC. The key development of the republican period was Rome’s rise from a small city to a wealthy metropolis, which served as the international capital of an extensive Mediterranean empire. These centuries produced a classic republican political culture, closely associated with the growth of a world empire. They also witnessed the slow disintegration of republican government under the relentless and combined pressure of external commitments, growing internal dissension, and the boundless ambition of successful military leaders. In the second edition of this Companion volume, distinguished European, Canadian, and American scholars present a variety of lively current approaches to understanding the political, military, and social aspects of Roman history, as well as its literary and visual culture. The second edition includes a new introduction, three new chapters on population, slavery, and the rise of empire, and updated bibliographies and maps.
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Harriet I. Flower is Professor of Classics at Princeton University. The author of Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture, The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture, and Roman Republics, she has written on aspects of Roman history and drama, as well as Latin epigraphy.
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3. Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2012.
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The rise and fall of the Roman Republic occupies a special place in the history of Western civilization. From humble beginnings on the seven hills beside the Tiber, the city of Rome grew to dominate the ancient Mediterranean. Led by her senatorial aristocracy, Republican armies defeated Carthage and the successor kingdoms of Alexander the Great, and brought the surrounding peoples to east and west into the Roman sphere. In this Very Short Introduction, David M. Gwynn provides a fascinating introduction to the history of the Roman Republic, ranging from the origins of Rome and the vivid Roman legends that surround the foundations of the city, to the overthrow of the monarchy in 509 BC, the five hundred years of republican rule, the rise of Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus, and the establishment of the Principate. Gwynn considers the political structure of the Republic, including its unique constitution, and he highlights literary and material sources, bringing to life the culture and society of Republican Rome. He also reflects on the Roman values and beliefs of the time, in order to shed light on the Republic’s dramatic rise and fall. Finally, Gwynn reflects on the remarkable legacy of the Roman Republic, including its modern-day resonance and legacy in literature and in film, where it is often presented as a model, a source of inspiration, but also a warning.
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David Gwynn is Lecturer in Ancient and Late Antique History at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is the author of several books including The Eusebians: The Polemic of Athanasius of Alexandria and the Construction of the “Arian Controversy” (OUP, 2007).
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4. Matyszak, Philip. Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome From Romulus to Augustus. Thames & Hudson, 2003.
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The Roman Republic was one of the most civilized societies in the ancient world, ruled by elected officials whose power was checked by a constitution so well crafted that it inspired the founding fathers of the United States of America. Here Philip Matyszak describes fifty-seven of the foremost Romans of the Republic, spanning the centuries from its birth to its bloody death and including the best and the worst of the Roman elite: Licinius Crassus, a kind father and loving husband who crucified slaves by the thousands, or Cato the Censor, upright and incorruptible, xenophobic and misogynistic.
Supported by a wealth of pictorial and archaeological detail, these personal histories provide an overview of the development and expansion of Rome, encompassing foreign and civil wars as well as social strife and key legislation. The biographies are supplemented by time lines, data files, and special features that highlight different aspects of Roman culture and society. 320 illustrations, 110 in color
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Philip Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St John’s College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books on the ancient world, including Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World, The Greek and Roman Myths, The Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome, and Ancient Magic.
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5. Lewis, Naphtali, and Meyer Reinhold. Roman Civilization: Selected Readings, Vol. 1: The Republic and the Augustan Age. 3rd edition. Columbia University Press, 1990.
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Naphtali Lewis and Meyer Reinhold’s Roman Civilization is a classic. Originally published by Columbia University Press in 1955, the authors have undertaken another revision which takes into account recent work in the field. These volumes consist of selected primary documents from ancient Rome, covering a range of over 1,000 years of Roman culture, from the foundation of the city to its sacking by the Goths.
The selections cover a broad spectrum of Roman civilization, including literature, philosophy, religion, education, politics, military affairs, and economics. These English translations of literary, inscriptional, and papyrological sources, many of which are available nowhere else, create a mosaic of the brilliance, the beauty, and the power of Rome.
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Naphtali Lewis is professor of classical studies at Boston University.
Meyer Reinhold is University Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University.
Both are distinguished classicists and have written numerous books and articles during their careers
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