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Why should we be interested in learning about the history and great men of the ancient Roman Empire? What does this musty old political entity have to do with modern history and the way we live now? The answer is simple – the events and people of the ancient Roman Empire still greatly affect us today. The modern history of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East was directly affected by ancient Rome. Understanding the Bible, another ancient document, depends a lot on understanding ancient Rome, since the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world in the middle of the Roman Empire, and the Church was born and developed in the midst of the Empire. When we say “Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate,” we mean the governor of the Roman province of Judea, who was appointed by the Emperor in Rome, Italy. When the Apostle Paul mentions Asia, he does not mean the modern continent of Asia but rather a Roman province named Asia located in modern-day Turkey. There are even more common influences. Who do we call to fix the water pipes in our house? Plumbers. Why do we call such people plumbers? In ancient Rome, water pipes were made out of lead, which in Latin is “plumbum.”
Now that we know that the subject is important to study, what is the best way to introduce a student to the history and personages of Ancient Rome? One good way is to study the biographies of influential ancient Roman people. Olivia Coolidge’s book, Lives of Famous Romans, does that and is in the Plumfield Libraries (see my review). Alfred J. Church chooses a slightly different approach. His book, Roman Life in the Days of Cicero, published in 1883, is a description of life in the last days of the Roman Republic during the approximate years 80 BC to about 20 BC. These were the last years of the Roman Republic, with Julius Caesar arising to become the first Emperor of the Roman Empire. Cicero (106 BC to 43 BC) was the greatest orator and writer of his age. Most of what we know about those years in the dying days of the Roman Republic is due to his writings, hence the book’s title. In fact, it is thought by some that the European Renaissance, at least its rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman learning, was due to the finding of Cicero’s letters and then much more of his work.
Church gives details about general Roman life at that time, for example, the naming of new baby sons. In our culture, there is a limited supply of names that we like to use. We rarely invent new names. In other cultures around the world, baby names are invented routinely. However, in the Roman culture at that time, there was only seventeen names allowed for new baby sons (I am not sure what the case was for daughters). Church then goes on to introduce famous people of that time, what they were like personally and professionally, how they interacted with each other, and how they affected the history and culture of that time. This is not a book of dry facts – the author weaves a continuous, well-written and interesting narrative at the high school or perhaps upper middle school level. History should be fascinating and Church certainly presents his material in this way. And Cicero is one of those people that everyone should know about. Augustus Caesar’s World, by Genevieve Foster (in the Plumfield Libraries, see my review), gives other material on this time in history and can be read before Church’s book.
Alfred John Church (1829 to 1912) was a classics scholar and taught at the university and high school level. He translated many ancient works for the modern student and wrote a number of historical novels set in classical times. These novels have some spiritual depth as Church was a Christian. Anything he wrote is worth reading. Some of his books are still in-print and more are available at Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org) as free e-books.