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Rome, Blood & Politics: Reform, Murder and Popular Politics in the Late Republic, 133–70 BC Kindle Edition

by Gareth C. Sampson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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This in-depth chronicle examines the series of political upheavals that led to division, violence, and civil war in the ancient Roman Republic.

The last century of the Roman Republic saw the consensus of the ruling elite shattered by a series of high-profile politicians who proposed political or social reform programs, many of which culminated in acts of bloodshed on the streets of Rome itself. This began in 133 BC with the military recruitment reforms of Tiberius Gracchus, which saw him and his supporters lynched by a mob of angry Senators.

Gracchus’s grim example was followed by a series of radical politicians, each with their own agenda that challenged the status quo of the Senatorial elite. Each met a violent response from elements of the ruling order, leading to murder and even battles on the streets of Rome. These bloody political clashes paralyzed the Roman state, eventually leading to its collapse.

Covering the period 133–70 BC, this volume analyzes each of the key reformers, what they were trying to achieve and how they met their end, narrating the long decline of the Roman Republic into anarchy and civil war.

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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword History
  5. Publication date
    November 30, 2017
  6. File size
    7963 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Murder and mayhem in the waning years of the Roman Republic; what more could you ask for in a book? This is a tour de force of the public and private machinations of the different characters in this time period of the Roman Republic… I find this book to be not only an enjoyable read, but also indispensable as a handy reference of the time period that it shows. I can easily recommend Dr. Sampson's book to anyone who has an interest in not only the workings of the Roman Republic, but also the time period.”
A Wargamers Needful Things

About the Author

After a successful career in corporate finance, Gareth C Sampson returned to the study of ancient Rome and gained his PhD from the University of Manchester, where he taught history for a number of years. He now lives in Plymouth with his wife and children. His previous books, The Defeat of Rome (2008), The Crisis of Rome (2010), The Collapse of Rome (2013), Rome Spreads Her Wings (2016) and Rome, Blood and Politics (2017) were also published by Pen & Sword.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07B7LPM9C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword History (November 30, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 30, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7963 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gregory F. Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Focussed Study of the Late Republic
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2021
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Notwithstanding the rather sanguinary title, this is really a very well focussed study of a portion of that period through the office of the tribunate. It derives from the author's unpublished thesis on this subject, but has clearly been thoughtfully expanded. This reader found it very helpful with its detailed study of the tribunes from the Gracchi to the years after the death of Sulla. Not perhaps for one looking for the first time at the history of this period, but of real interest to those seeking to fully understand the characters and events of this crucial era.
3 people found this helpful
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Graham Beddie
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Flawed
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022
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This is an interesting, well-researched book which satisfactorily covers a complex era. However, it is not well-written and suffers from poor editing. The most irritating features are inconsistency in usage of names and far too many grammatical errors. While the lengthy quotations from primary sources are valuable, they are not suitably integrated into the narrative. Finally, there is not enough analysis and resolution of important issues.
2 people found this helpful
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Douglas H. Walker
3.0 out of 5 stars Inferior to Duncan's "Storm Before the Storm"
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021
Rome, Blood, and Politics covers the history of the Roman Republic from 133 to 70 BC. Rather than describing wars and battles, it focuses on Roman domestic politics, how the political system worked, and how it was marred by violence. Before noting my criticisms, I will point out one positive aspect of the book: the use of lengthy quotations from the primary sources. While these quotations are wordy and degrade the book's literary style, it was interesting to hear from the sources themselves to see whether or not they agreed. Very few secondary sources provide more than a handful of direct quotations. Sampson also manages to put together a passable narrative of events and includes many details about Roman domestic politics that you might not find elsewhere.

Nevertheless, this book disappointed me. I bought it because I am working on a board game about the conflict between the Optimates and Populares during the Gracchan period. I had already read Mike Duncan's book "The Storm Before the Storm," which covers roughly the same period. Duncan's work is
much better overall. First, it is more fluid and better written, a masterpiece of narrative history. By contrast, Sampson's sentences are often awkward, and he seems to be presenting a list facts rather than telling a story. Second, while Sampson's book seems more scholarly on the surface, he does little to analyze Roman politics in a systematic or theoretical way. He reads as if he's listing a series of facts, and fails to comment on their larger significance or how they relate to one another. He never defends a controversial interpretation of how things went when sources disagree, but rather presents the variety of scholarly theories without commentary.

Simply put, I don't see much value added in buying Sampson's book over Duncan's. Other than providing more long-form primary source quotations, it doesn't do anything that Duncan fails to do. You will learn just as much with Duncan's book and have more fun reading it.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Hector Javier Willys Duarte
5.0 out of 5 stars A great narration
Reviewed in Mexico on March 21, 2023
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This is a key book for everyone who wants to understand some of the key events of the late Roman republic.
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Mr. R. S. Cuthbertson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent study of a violent period in Rome’s republic era
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is Gareth Sampson’s fifth book to be released by publisher Pen and Sword. It is a follow on from his unpublished thesis on the office of the tribunate.

It covers the years from 133 BC to 70 BC but has a background from the end of the regal period up to 133 BC as well. As the title of the book suggests it focuses on the Politics taking place within Rome, military campaigns are briefly mentioned if it has bearing on the subject being discussed. To get a idea of the military situation also read the authors books The crisis of Rome with covers the war against Jurgurtha and the Northern Wars and the collapse of Rome (covering Rome’s first civil war.) All three read together will give a excellent coverage of this period.

Sampson’s writing style is informative yet easy to follow, he discusses the sources and likely reasons but is quick to point out a hypothesis that we may never know the truth due to the lack of sources. The subject is interesting and shows just how bloody this period was in the republics history.

I have read all of Sampson’s books and they have all been excellent reads. As with most Pen and Sword books there are a few typos but there are less in this entry.

Sampson states at he end of this book he will be writing about popular politics in Rome from 70BC to 27BC, based on the quality of this entry I shall look forward to that.
3 people found this helpful
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