"A major contribution to the study of Roman imperialism and ancient international relations."—John Rich, University of Nottingham

In 53BC the Proconsul Marcus Crassus and 36,000 of his legionaries were crushed by the Parthians at Carrhae in what is now eastern Turkey. Crassus' defeat and death and the 20,000 casualties his army suffered were an extraordinary disaster for Rome. The event intensified the bitter, destructive struggle for power in the Roman republic, curtailed the empire's eastward expansion and had a lasting impact on the history of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It was also the first clash between two of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. Yet this critical episode has often been neglected by writers on the period who have concentrated on the civil war between Pompey and Caesar. Gareth Sampson, in this challenging and original study, reconstructs the Carrhae campaign in fine detail, reconsiders the policy of imperial expansion and gives a fascinating insight into the opponents the Romans confronted in the East - the Parthians. AUTHOR After a successful career in corporate finance, Dr Gareth Sampson returned to the study of ancient Rome and gained his PhD from the University of Manchester, where he currently teaches ancient history. He has made a detailed study of early Roman political history and in particular the political office of the tribunate of the plebs. He is currently engaged in a study of the power struggles and the civil warfare of the late Republic and its expansionist policies in the East SALES Graphic account of the Parthian victory over Rome at Carrhae Penetrating study of the clash between two of the great civilizations of the ancient world Reconsiders the career of Marcus Licinius Crassus and his military reputation

Sampson lays out the gruesome outcome of Rome's greatest military disaster atCarrhae and its consequences.

How did the Romans go from a small tribe living on the banks of the Tiber to an imperial power that at its height encompassed some 64 million people across three continents? And how can we explain the decline and eventual collapse of this vast empire? This authoritative, highly readable textbook offers a complete survey of the history of Rome from its origins, through the Republic and Empire, to the period of its decline and fall, ending with the emergence of Mohammed in the 6th century.Written by a historian with an international reputation, the book incorporates the most recent scholarship and archaeological evidence. It describes the key events in Roman history, and offers fascinating insights into Roman life and culture as they changed and developed over the centuries.

Organized chronologically, this text presents a complete picture of Greek civilization as a history and features sections on the art, architecture, literature, and thought of each period.

Rome and Judea in Transition is the first English-language book to study exclusively the first century and a half of Roman-Judean political relations (164-37 B.C.). It presents a comprehensive reassessment of the Late Republic's involvement in the Levant, the motives of Hasmonean diplomacy, and the development of the Jewish high priesthood. Therefore, it is of interest to classicists, ancient historians, biblical scholars, and students of Judaica alike. Previous studies have often mischaracterized this period as a consistent unfolding of Rome's hegemonic will at Jewish expense. By contrast, this book argues that the Republic harbored no imperial designs on Judea prior to Pompey's opportunistic intervention in 63 B.C., and that Rome's subsequent intermittent meddling in the region's governance did not significantly alter the dynamics of the Hasmonean state. Only with the Parthian invasion of Syria in 40 B.C. - and because of it - did the Republic unilaterally reshape Judean politics by its elevation of Herod the Great as King of the Jews. Judea's alliance with Rome began in the context of Judas Maccabeus' revolt against Seleucid rule. Scholars have therefore understandably assumed that the primary hope of Judas' successors was that Roman recognition would secure and extend Judean sovereignty. This book argues that the main motive for Hasmonean diplomacy was domestic: to advertise the legitimacy of the Maccabees against their Jewish rivals. For this reason, the documentary record of relations with the Republic is of great value for studying the ideology and institutional growth of high priestly power during this period.

For courses in Ancient History (Ancient Near East - Egypt/Mesopotamia), Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome. The Ancient World is a comprehensive, multi-perspective, and integrated chronicle of the history of the ancient world, from Sumer to the fall of Rome, that explores the distinctive forms society took--particularly the unusual (by the standards of college students today) relationships between society and the state that characterized the social order of antiquity. By closely integrating social and cultural histories with the political, institutional, and military climates in which they unfolded, this text provides fascinating insights into family, gender relations, class structures, public vs. private realms, slavery, popular culture, religion, art, architecture, leisure styles, philosophy, science, and education, and explores their complex relationships to ideology and political events.

China's turn toward the sea is evident in its stunning rise in global shipbuilding markets, its expanding merchant marine, its wide reach of offshore energy exploration, its growing fishing fleet, and its increasingly modern navy. This comprehensive assessment of China's potential as a genuine maritime power is both unbiased and apolitical. Unlike other works that view China in isolation, it places China in a larger world historical context. The authors, all authorities on their historical eras, examine cases of attempted maritime transformation through the ages, from the Persian Empire to the Soviet Union, and determine the reasons for success or failure.