The Collapse of Rome: Marius, Sulla and the First Civil War

by Gareth Sampson

Overview

Full of fascinating famous characters from Marius to Sulla and Pompey, this narrates and analyzes a crucial period in Rome's history.

By the early first century BC, the Roman Republic had already carved itself a massive empire and was easily the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. Roman armies had marched victoriously over enemies far and wide, but the Roman heartland was soon to feel the tramp of armies on campaign as the Republic was convulsed by civil war and rival warlords vied for supremacy, sounding the first death knell of the Republican system. At the center of the conflict was the rivalry between Marius, victor of the Jugurthine and Northern wars, and his former subordinate, Sulla. But, as Gareth Sampson points out in this new analysis, the situation was much more complex than the traditional view portrays it and the scope of the First Civil War both wider and longer.

This narrative and analysis of a critical and bloody period in Roman history is an ideal sequel to the author's Crisis of Rome (and a prequel to his first book, The Defeat of Rome).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526781918
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	07/22/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	635,083
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

After a successful career in corporate finance, Dr. Gareth Sampson returned to the study of ancient Rome and gained his PhD from the University of Manchester, where he currently teaches ancient history. He has made a detailed study of early Roman political history and in particular the political office of the tribunate of the plebs. He is currently engaged in a study of the power struggles and the civil warfare of the late Republic and its expansionist policies in the east.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

List of Plates vii

Maps and Diagrams viii

Introduction - When is a Civil War not a Civil War? 1

Timeline 4

Notes on Roman Names 5

The Oncoming Storm

Chapter 1 The Road to Civil War 8

Chapter 2 War in Italy (91-87BC) 21

From Crisis to Collapse

Chapter 3 Coups and Counter-coups in Rome (88 BC) 56

Chapter 4 The Consuls at War (87 BC) 76

Chapter 5 Peace in Italy - a World at War (86-84BC) 97

Total Civil War

Chapter 6 The War for Italy (83-82 BC) 116

Chapter 7 Peace in Italy; a World at War II (82-79 BC) 145

From Collapse to Recovery

Chapter 8 The Wars in Italy and Spain (78-77 BC) 164

Chapter 9 The War in Spain (77-74 BC) 178

Chapter 10 War on Two Fronts: Spain and Asia (74-71 BC) 197

Chapter 11 The Rise of the New Republic (71-70BC) 212

Appendix I On the Offensive - Roman Expansion in the 70sBC 220

Appendix II The Second Civil War (63-62 BC) 225

Appendix III Two Decades of Bloodshed - Roman Senatorial Causalities in the First Civil War 236

Notes and References 243

Bibliography 270

Index 281

Editorial Reviews

"These events were of great important in setting the stage for the final generation of the Republic, and with The Collapse of Rome, Sampson helps throw fresh light on them, making this a valuable read for anyone interested in Roman History."

The NYMAS Review