Anthony Birley Knihy

One of the most controversial of all works to survive from ancient Rome, the Augustan History is our main source of information about the Roman emperors from 117 to 284 AD. Written in the late fourth century by an anonymous author, it is an enigmatic combination of truth, invention and humour. This volume contains the first half of the History, and includes biographies of every emperor from Hadrian to Heliogabalus - among them the godlike Marcus Antonius and his grotesquely corrupt son Commodus. The History contains many fictitious (but highly entertaining) anecdotes about the depravity of the emperors, as the author blends historical fact and faked documents to present our most complete - albeit unreliable - account of the later Roman Caesars. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

"The ink writing-tablets, first identified at Roman Vindolanda, just south of Hadrian's Wall, in 1973, revealed a hitherto unknown papyrus-substitute, thin leaves of wood for day-to-day book-keeping and letters. Dating mostly from the years AD 90-125 (Hadrian's Wall was begun in 122), these unique tablets represent the largest collection of original Roman letters ever found." "The book paints a picture of two Roman auxiliary regiments, the 9th Cohort of Batavians and the 1st Cohort of Tungrians. Among the 400 named officers and personnel, the Batavian prefect Flavius Cerialis features prominently, together with his wife Sulpicia Lepidina, who received the now famous birthday party invitation from her friend Claudia Severa, wife of Cerialis' colleague and fellow hunting enthusiast Aelius Brocchus." "In addition to covering officers and families, friends and colleagues, this book brings to life the ordinary soldiers and their names and duties; military routine, duty-reports, leave and deserters; the supply of food, drink and other goods; merchants and contractors; visitors and entertainment as well as day-to-day enthusiasms as varied as hunting and religion."--Jacket

Biografia lui Hadrian, scrisă de Anthony Birley, este considerată un standard în studiul vieții împăratului roman, al cărui mausoleu, cunoscut sub numele de Castelul Sant'Angelo, rămâne unul dintre cele mai reprezentative clădiri din Roma. Hadrian, care a devenit împărat la vârsta de patruzeci de ani, ca fiu adoptiv al vărului său Traian în anul 117 d.Hr., a influențat nu doar peisajul urban al Romei, ci și întreaga regiune a Imperiului Roman prin călătoriile sale extinse. Această lucrare oferă o imagine cuprinzătoare și actualizată a lui Hadrian, bazată pe cercetările recente, punând accent mai puțin pe politica sa și mai mult pe povestea vieții unui om care a fost un adevărat mister chiar și pentru contemporanii săi.