The Idea of Rome; from Antiquity to the Renaissance

"What else, then, is all history, if not the praise of Rome?" Petrarch's question is not wholly rhetorical because Rome, both secular and religious, is still very much with us. "The study of Rome," as the editor of this anthology of readings points out, " is a prerequisite to any serious understanding of the development of western civilization, for no other city has cast such a spell upon men's minds, has possessed such a mystique, has generated so many potent myths." The works of twenty-six classic authors, ranging from Virgil and Cicero to Machiavelli and Gibbon, illustrate what Rome meant to poets and historians, humanists and theologians, artists and men of letters. Their writings have been culled to explain Rome's relationship with the Greek world, from which it took so much; with Christianity, which owed so much to Rome; with Gaul, which succeeded Rome as the leaving cultural and political force of the West; and with Florence, the "first modern state." Each part concludes with a pertinent selection from a classic of modern historiography. Intended for students of western civilization, this book should appeal to all historically minded readers who may have forgotten (or never learned) their Latin.