Aurelian and the Third Century (Roman Imperial Biographies) - Softcover

Watson, Alaric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415301874 ISBN 13: 9780415301879

Publisher: Routledge, 2003

Synopsis

Aurelian and the Third Century provides a re-evaluation, in the light of recent scholarship, of the difficulties facing the Roman empire in the AD 260s and 270s, concentrating upon the reign of the Emperor Aurelian and his part in summoning them.

With introduction examining the situation in the mid third century, the book is divided into two parts:

* Part 1: deals chronologically with the military and political events of the period from 268 to 276
* Part 2: analyzes the other achievements and events of Aurelian's reign and assesses their importance.

A key supplement to the study of the Roman Empire.

About this title

About the Author:

Alaric Watson has a PhD from King's College London in Roman history and has taught Roman history at the University of North London and Queen Mary and Westfield College. He is now a Barrister in Lincoln's Inn.

Review:

It is good to have an up-to-date biography of aurelian in English, and this is a good one.
–Classical World

....the author has woven numismatic and epigraphic evidence with the more traditional literary sources to construct a fuller picture of the emperor and his world..
–Ancient History Journal

This work opens with the best summary analysis of the third-century 'crisis' that this reviewer has ever come across. For this introduction alone, Watson's book is worth reading..
–Ancient History Journal

A full-length monograph on Aurelian is long overdue, and Watson's will prove very useful for undergraduate and graduate level course, because it is at once very readable and well grounded in primary and secondary research..
–Ancient History Journal

This is a splendid book, lucid, well-written, judicious in its interpretations, comprehensive in its use of the appallingly inadequate sources...I have not read a better, more judicious, concise account of the third-century crisis, nor a more lucid narrative of the divided empire from 248 onwards..

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0415301874
• ISBN 13: 9780415301879
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 324