The Myths of Rome by T P Wiseman
Winner of American Philological Association: C.J. Goodwin Award of Merit 2005. Shortlisted for British Academy Book Prize 2005. Widely reviewed and celebrated in hardback on publication in 2004, "The Myths of Rome" is now available in a paperback edition.This major re-evaluation of Roman history and its afterlife in western culture through the mediums of myth and art is fast becoming the standard popular account of the Roman story-world. It triumphantly redresses the popular perception of classical myth as a predominantly Greek invention; and builds a cohesive narrative from the mass of mythical and historical tales that cluster around the nexus of Rome. It is set to become a sourcebook for students of Roman myth and history in this country and around the world at undergraduate and graduate level.
The Myths of Rome is a richly produced work for the general reader, by a specialist in rarely visited corners of the theme; but its seductive illustrations, tables and chronologies should not disguise the book's passionate polemic, which places flagons of wine in the hands, and garlands of roses on the heads, of those beaky-nosed pieces of virtue who formed the Republic
Marina Warner, TLS * TLS *
Wiseman’s latest labour is this lavishly illustrated book on the myths of Rome, which will undoubtedly constitute an essential tool for students of Roman mythology, a provocative and useful summary of the author’s views for scholars, and an entertaining and informative companion for the wider readership. One of the great strengths of this book is its unusual ability to present an extremely broad variety of issues in a unified and harmonious picture, proving at the same time a learned account of a lesser well known myth as well as a description of the deepest economic dynamics at work during Rome’s imperialistic expansion. This book, which also incorporates the topography of Rome as an integral part of its narrative (see, for example, the discussion of Alban Mount, 88) provides a very useful time-chart and valuable uncluttered maps which will be of great use for those unfamiliar with the subject. It is also punctuated by brief excurses (thirty-one in total) on at times random, but always entertaining, information which undoubtedly will satisfy the curiosity of some readers.
In The Myths of Rome Wiseman gives us his most comprehensive account to date of the development of Roman myth or, as he calls it, the Roman ‘story-world’. This brief selection hardly does justice to the elegance and breadth of this beautifully produced volume, which contains a further forty-one single and two-page divertimenti taking up themes in the main text, which is wonderfully illustrated. W.’s prose is engaging and committed. The fact that one looks for W.’s approach to be extended and refined, in spite of disagreement concerning the political interpretation of some of these stories, is an index of the importance of The Myths of Rome. Its readers will return to it repeatedly as both an inspiring and thought-provoking piece of innovative scholarship, and an engaging and vibrant piece of historical writing.
S. J. Northwood, Journal of Roman Studies, No. 98, pp183-4 * Journal of Roman Studies, No. 98, pp183-4 *
... the elegance and breadth of this beautifully produced volume, which contains a further forty-one single or two-page divertimenti taking up themes in the main text, which is wonderfully illustrated, and has only four misprints. W.’s prose is engaging and committed, particularly his chapters on the crimes of the senatorial obliarchy in the first and second centuries B.C. He aims for a broad readership, which means he is not always as precise with regard to political context as scholarly readers might expect, but the endnotes display mastery of the full range of source material and provide an extremely useful scholarly resource. The fact that one looks for W.’s approach to be extended and refined, in spite of disagreement concerning the political interpretation of some of these stories, is an index of the importance of The Myths of Rome. Its readers will return to it repeatedly as both an inspiring and thought-provoking piece of innovative scholarship, and an engaging and vibrant piece of historical writing.
S. J. Northwood, The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 98, pp.183-280 * The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 98, pp.183-280 *
Marina Warner, TLS * TLS *
Wiseman’s latest labour is this lavishly illustrated book on the myths of Rome, which will undoubtedly constitute an essential tool for students of Roman mythology, a provocative and useful summary of the author’s views for scholars, and an entertaining and informative companion for the wider readership. One of the great strengths of this book is its unusual ability to present an extremely broad variety of issues in a unified and harmonious picture, proving at the same time a learned account of a lesser well known myth as well as a description of the deepest economic dynamics at work during Rome’s imperialistic expansion. This book, which also incorporates the topography of Rome as an integral part of its narrative (see, for example, the discussion of Alban Mount, 88) provides a very useful time-chart and valuable uncluttered maps which will be of great use for those unfamiliar with the subject. It is also punctuated by brief excurses (thirty-one in total) on at times random, but always entertaining, information which undoubtedly will satisfy the curiosity of some readers.
Valentina Arena, Phoenix, Vol. LXI, No. 3-4, pp.375-77
* Phoenix, Vol. LXI, No. 3-4, pp.375-77 *In The Myths of Rome Wiseman gives us his most comprehensive account to date of the development of Roman myth or, as he calls it, the Roman ‘story-world’. This brief selection hardly does justice to the elegance and breadth of this beautifully produced volume, which contains a further forty-one single and two-page divertimenti taking up themes in the main text, which is wonderfully illustrated. W.’s prose is engaging and committed. The fact that one looks for W.’s approach to be extended and refined, in spite of disagreement concerning the political interpretation of some of these stories, is an index of the importance of The Myths of Rome. Its readers will return to it repeatedly as both an inspiring and thought-provoking piece of innovative scholarship, and an engaging and vibrant piece of historical writing.
S. J. Northwood, Journal of Roman Studies, No. 98, pp183-4 * Journal of Roman Studies, No. 98, pp183-4 *
... the elegance and breadth of this beautifully produced volume, which contains a further forty-one single or two-page divertimenti taking up themes in the main text, which is wonderfully illustrated, and has only four misprints. W.’s prose is engaging and committed, particularly his chapters on the crimes of the senatorial obliarchy in the first and second centuries B.C. He aims for a broad readership, which means he is not always as precise with regard to political context as scholarly readers might expect, but the endnotes display mastery of the full range of source material and provide an extremely useful scholarly resource. The fact that one looks for W.’s approach to be extended and refined, in spite of disagreement concerning the political interpretation of some of these stories, is an index of the importance of The Myths of Rome. Its readers will return to it repeatedly as both an inspiring and thought-provoking piece of innovative scholarship, and an engaging and vibrant piece of historical writing.
S. J. Northwood, The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 98, pp.183-280 * The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 98, pp.183-280 *
T. P. Wiseman is Emeritus Professor of Roman History at the University of Exeter and a Fellow of the British Academy. He came to Exeter in 1977, and was Head of Department from 1977 to 1990. His published books include Catullan Questions (1969), New Men in the Roman Senate (1971), Cinna the Poet (1974), Catullus and his World (1985), Roman Political Life (1985), and Remembering the Roman People (2009). And on the study of Roman historiography, and from there to the myth-history of early Rome: see Clio’s Cosmetics (1979), Historiography and Imagination (1994), Remus: A Roman Myth (1995), Roman Drama and Roman History (1998), The Myths of Rome (2004), which won the American Philological Association’s Goodwin Award of Merit, and Unwritten Rome (2008)
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780859897044 |
| ISBN 10 | 0859897044 |
| Title | The Myths of Rome |
| Author | T P Wiseman |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Liverpool University Press |
| Year published | 2008-08-29 |
| Number of pages | 448 |
| Prizes | Winner of American Philological Association: C.J. Goodwin Award of Merit 2005, Short-listed for British Academy Book Prize 2005 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |