A Critical History of Early Rome : From Prehistory to the First Punic War

"During the period from Rome's Stone Age beginnings on the Tiber River to its conquest of the Italian peninsula in 264 B.C., the Romans in large measure developed the social, political, and military structure that would be the foundation of their spectacular imperial success. In this comprehensive and clearly written account, Gary Forsythe draws extensively from historical, archaeological, linguistic, epigraphic, religious, and legal evidence as he traces Rome's early development within a multicultural environment of Latins, Sabines, Etruscans, Greeks, and Phoenicians. His study charts the development of the classical republican institutions that would eventually enable Rome to create its vast empire, and provides fascinating discussions of topics including Roman prehistory, religion, and language. In addition to its value as an authoritative synthesis of current research, A Critical History of Early Rome offers a revisionist interpretation of Rome's early history through its innovative use of ancient sources. The history of this period is notoriously difficult to uncover because there are no extant written records, and because the later historiography that affords the only narrative accounts of Rome's early days is shaped by the issues, conflicts, and ways of thinking of its own time. This book provides a groundbreaking examination of those surviving ancient sources in light of their underlying biases, thereby reconstructing early Roman history upon a more solid evidentiary foundation."--Publisher's description

a Remarkable Book,in Which Forsythe Uses His Thorough Knowledge Of The Ancient Evidence To Reconstruct A Coherent And Eminently Plausible Picture Which In Turn Illuminates Early Roman Society More Immediately Than Any Other Category Of Evidence Is Able To Do. Forsythe Displays His Impressive Ability To Demonstrate To What Extent And Why The Tradition That Dominates The Extant Historical Narratives Is Not Credible.—kurt Raaflaub, Author Of the Discovery Of Freedom In Ancient Greece

an Excellent Synthetic Treatment Of Early Roman History Found In Both Modern Literary And Archaeological Materials.—richard Mitchell, Author Of patricians And Plebeians

tables and illustrations 12 acknowledgments 14 abbreviations 18 foreword 20 Chapter 1: Italy in Prehistory 26 Chapter 2: Archaic Italy c. 800–500 B.C. 47 Chapter 3: The Ancient Sources for Early Roman History 78 Chapter 4: Rome During the Regal Period 97 Chapter 5: Archaic Roman Religion 144 Chapter 6: The Beginning of the Roman Republic 166 Chapter 7: Rome of the Twelve Tables 220 Chapter 8: Evolution and Growth of the Roman State, 444–367 B.C. 253 Chapter 9: Rome’s Rise to Dominance, 366–300 B.C. 287 Chapter 10: Rome’s Conquest and Unification of Italy, 299–264 B.C. 343 appendix: Early Roman Chronology 388 works cited 390 index 410 The past two hundred years of human history have witnessed continuous and rapid technological change and progress on an unparalleled scale. Purchased this as a 'used' book but arrived in perfect condition. Thanks and I would definitely buy from this seller again. Gary Forsythe. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 371-389) And Index.