Download Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome (Roma, Book 2) by Steven Saylor PDF

By Steven Saylor
Within the overseas bestseller "Roma", Steven Saylor advised the tale of the 1st thousand years of Rome through following the descendants of a unmarried bloodline. Now, in "Empire", Saylor charts the destinies of 5 extra generations of the Pinarius relations, from the reign of the 1st emperor, Augustus, to the wonderful top of Rome's empire below Hadrian. throughout the eyes of the Pinarii, we witness the machinations of Tiberius, the insanity of Caligula, the harsh escapades of Nero, and the chaos of the yr of 4 Emperors in sixty nine A.D. The lethal paranoia of Domitian is via the Golden Age of Trajan and Hadrianobut even the main enlightened emperors wield the facility to inflict demise and destruction on a whim. "Empire" is strewn with brilliant scenes, together with the nice hearth of sixty four A.D. that ravaged the town, Nero's terrifying persecution of the Christians, and the fabulous commencing video games of the Colosseum. yet on the novel's middle are the wrenching offerings and seductive temptations confronted by means of each one new iteration of the Pinarii. One unwittingly turns into the sexual plaything of the infamous Messalina. One enters right into a clandestine affair with a Vestal virgin. One falls less than the charismatic spell of Nero, whereas one other is drawn into the unusual new cult of these who deny the gods and contact themselves Christians. even though assorted their destinies and needs, the entire Pinarii are united via something: the mysterious golden talisman referred to as the fascinum passed down from a time sooner than Rome existed. because it passes from iteration to new release, the fascinum turns out to workout an influence not just over those that put on it, yet over the very destiny of the empire. compliment for Steven Saylor: "Saylor expertly weaves the genuine heritage of Rome with the lives and loves of its fictional citizens".("Daily Express"). "Saylor's scholarship is breathtaking and his writing enthrals". (Ruth Rendell). "With the scalpel-like deftness of a Hollywood director, Saylor places his finger at the very essence of Roman history". ("Times Literary Supplement"). "Readers will locate his paintings splendidly (and gracefully) researched...this is leisure of the 1st order". ("Washington Post").
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Extra resources for Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome (Roma, Book 2)
Example text
Marius was a popularis, one of the politicians who tended to support the interests of the common people. Sulla sided with the optimates, who favored the wealthy and powerful. , after Sulla and his troops left the city, Marius worked with a tribune (an elected leader of the plebeians) to pass a law that made Marius commander, replacing Sulla. Fighting broke out in Rome and Sulla returned to the city with some of his troops. For the first time since the founding of the Republic, the Romans had a civil war.
Rome declared war on Macedonia. Its purpose was to protect its Greek allies, stop Philip’s expansion, and punish him for his earlier alliance with Hannibal. , Rome’s next Greek opponents were the Seleucids. ), the Seleucids tried to expand their territory. e. Roman troops fought in both Greece and Asia Minor, but they did not remain in those regions. With the Greek wars, Rome did not acquire new territory, but it did expect the Greek communities to follow Roman orders. Rome also gained from the slaves and riches its soldiers brought home.
One of the economic problems Rome faced during the third century was inflation—a problem that sometimes worries governments today. Inflation refers to the rising price of goods. If salaries rise at the same rate as prices, inflation is not a problem. But if salaries do not rise, or if they go down, then people cannot afford to buy as much as they could in the past. In Rome, inflation was mostly the result of the government lowering the value of the money people used to by things. At one time, silver coins were made completely of silver.