Though at
first glance this book seems as if it would provide history and
analysis of Rome’s great emperor, Hadrian, that’s not the case at
all. Rather, Danny Danzinger and Nicholas Purcell have teamed up
to produce a book that provides a broad overview of the Roman Empire in
the second century AD, under the rule of Hadrian.
Though Hadrian himself does receive a significant amount of attention in the book, the authors of Hadrian’s Empire
most often use aspects of Hadrian’s life as stepping-off points for the
exploration of broader themes. Thus, there are chapters that
cover topics such as the workings of the Roman city, the administration
of the Roman Empire, the military, politics, religion, social life,
attitudes towards sex, people’s lodgings, food, clothing, class
differences, women’s roles in society.
If you’re
the kind of person who spends your time in the Roman Forum wishing you
knew more about how Romans lived, worked, and played, then this
book will satisfy some of your longings for it will leave you
with a much-expanded idea of what life was like in the ancient
Roman world.
Order Hadrian’s Empire from Powell’s
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd , 2005. ISBN 0340833602