The Immense Majesty: A History of Rome and the Roman Empire

This textbook is the best brief introduction to Roman history and civilization that I have found. Africa manages to pack much detail into his rapid survey of political and military history. He is excellent as well with Roman social history and religion. He has an eye for telling anecdotes, and throughout it is clear that he had great fun writing this book. Africa is witty and often sardonic; The Immense Majesty is a great read, even for a professional historian. There is almost nothing about this book that I do not like, and my undergraduate students seem to agree. I believe that the general reader, seeking an introduction to ancient Rome, could hardly do better than this book. Do not expect lavish illustrations, however; the book is meant to be affordable.

I had Africa as a teacher in 1992 and 1993. My first class was the "Rise and Fall of Rome" (200 level course) and the second was a graduate course more oriented on historiography ("Aliens and Others").Clearly, this book is easy to read, but I feel it can cater to a large group of people, from the amateur to the student to the expert just getting into this time in history.I can guarantee you that Africa's sources are well-documented. He's a "street-smart" historian with enough wisdom to get the "right balance", if there is one, between fact and fiction.I highly recommend this book.