The Roman Way

I was first exposed to this classic in high school, but, of course, lacked the experience and maturity to appreciate it. I am glad I was exposed to it anyway because I was indeed impressed by it and remembered it in spite of my immaturity. I picked it up again and re-read it and was delighted. Hamilton is a voice from another time, a time not just of ancient Romans but a time when educated people in the modern West were really educated in what really matters and will always matter: the best that has been written and thought about the drama of human life throughout the ages. With that classic outlook, the reader cannot but help to recapture some of the balance, insight, sensitivity, and maturity that are the best fruits of a classical education. Now, more than ever, we need the classic restraint and equanimity that comes from the best of classical civilization. Reading Hamilton is a great tonic for a society increasingly fragmenting into more and more lunatic and decadent dead ends. The classics mature our personalities--and we need that in a time when egotism and undisciplined emotionalism are so rampant.

_The Roman Way_ (1932) by Edith Hamilton is an easily readable, highly informative account of the mindset of the Romans as illustrated in the lives and exploits of the great military and political leaders; the oeuvre of Roman poets, playwrights, and historians; and the insights of her philosophers. The Roman Way spans a period of roughly four hundred years, from 200 BC to 400 AD, the high water marks of both the republic and the empire. The breadth of the work is incredible. In treating such a wide range of subjects, Hamilton offers a rich, dynamic story of Rome. She introduces the major figures in enough depth to make their voices come alive, in their own complexity as well as in the context of what was taking place in Roman society. As a result, _The Roman Way_ is very useful either as an introduction to Roman society for a general reader or a synthesis of knowledge for those who have already studied these authors and history in detail. Within Hamilton's history are two ideas, woven throughout the text. First, while demonstrating Rome's debt to ancient Greece, she contrasts Rome's pragmatism in the arts and sciences with the Greek interest in abstract philosophy and metaphysics. Second, she traces--often in asides--rudimentary similarities between the Roman and the American worldview (of the 1930s), particularly with respect to the arts. She points out that American pragmatism and culture often draw more from Roman values and virtues, as opposed to the Greek penchant for philosophical speculation. This latter point is suggestive but is, rightly in my opinion, not a major focus of the work. Hamilton is skilled at quoting from writings and accounts of historical figures and then explaining the context for these words. For instance, in her chapters on Roman comedy she summarizes a number of plays by Plautus and Terrence while translating key passages. The reader is exposed to a range of plays, actually experiences the language of specific scenes, and then has a chance to consider Hamilton's broader insights about the playwrights. In a few short chapters, Hamilton covers the nature of Roman comedy, the role of women in the plays and society, how comedy competed with gladiators and other spectacles, and the influence of Greek drama on Plautus and Terrence. She covers considerable ground while offering a direct feeling of the content of the plays and, most importantly, their humor. For example, she notes that Roman comedies are often situational and studies of the ordinary rather than philosophical or poetic, which is more typical of Greek comedy. To show exceptions to this generalization, though, she excerpts two of the more far-reaching statements from Terrence and Plautus. Terrence remarks, "I am a man and nothing in mankind do I hold alien to me." Plautus expresses about the poet: "The poet seeks what is nowhere in all of the world, / And yet--somewhere--he finds it." In acknowledging these exceptions, she strengthens

Greece and Rome are the foundations of the modern world system and Western culture. We all owe a big debt to the spirit of those two little countries in southern Europe who gave so much to the world. "Roman Ways" should be read with "Greek Ways" if the reader wants to get a better picture of the achievements of these two sister civilizations. A good introduction to anyone who is learning the classics.

No one wrote about ancient history as well as Hamilton; she made these eras come alive, and explained them in a way that made perfect sense to a 20th-century reader. Her book on "The Greek Way" is even better, because I really dig the Greeks!!

I read this book (actually is was a combo of The Greek Way and The Roman Way). I really enjoyed it a lot. Edith Hamilton has a style that seems to bring one back in time. One almost believes he is there experiencing that ancient time. But moreover, one receives a personal feel of all the charactors she so richly describes. Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Horace, etc. all seem to come alive. Above it all, Ms. Hamilton has a wonderful writing style that manifests itself throughout. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.