Rubicon

The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic

Tom Holland

The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the knownworld. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness -the same greatness which would bring about the catastrophe of its fall. Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilisation, with its extremes of ambition and self sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet, alien as it may seem, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years have passed, but we remain the Romans’ heirs.

First published:: 2003
Published by:: Little, Brown
Length:: Hardcover 408 pages

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About the author

Tom Holland was born in 1968 in Oxford, and was brought up near Salisbury. He gained a double First from Cambridge, and is the author of six novels, most recently The Bonehunter. His adaptations of the classics include Homer, Virgil, Herodotus and Thucydides for BBC Radio 4. Rubicon was Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4, adapted for radio by Tom himself. He lives with his wife and young daughter in Brixton, London.