Augustus
En biografi
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- 13,99 €
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- 13,99 €
Publisher Description
”Vid den tiden utfärdade kejsar Augustus en förordning om att hela världen skulle skattskrivas.” Den kända inledningen till julevangeliet säger inte mycket om Roms förste kejsare. När han dog 14 e Kr var det romerska riket större och mäktigare än någonsin. Men när hans fosterfar Caesar höggs ihjäl i senaten, över fyra decennier tidigare, hade bilden varit en annan. Romerska republikens sista dagar var räknade, och den övermodige tonåringen hade svurit att hämnas sin fars mördare, den tidens mäktigaste män. Inbördeskriget var ett faktum.
Den bästsäljande historikern och författaren Adrian Goldsworthy skildrar med stor kunskap Augustus dramatiska liv. Tidigare böcker av Adrian Goldsworthy som finns utgivna på svenska: Puniska krigen (2003), Kejsare och generaler (2006) och Caesar (2007).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian and biographer Goldsworthy (Caesar) showcases his deep knowledge of Ancient Rome in this masterful document of a life whose themes still resonate in modern times. Augustus, heir to Julius Caesar and architect of the pax romana, receives a detailed examination of his quasi-mythic public life; one that "speaks of immense and highly focused ambition, and of great political skill, but also of luck." A strong narrative emphasis ties the work together and is enriched by evocative details of Roman life, whether it be bathing practices, voting tendencies, or the contemporary significance of Virgil. Readers may be surprised to find ancient precedents for still-visible cultural phenomena, such as the celebrity status accorded to politicians, public delight in scandal, and leadership "constantly reinforced by... propaganda." Similarly, those attuned to contemporary politics may appreciate Augustus's struggle to initiate a unified Roman order and peace in the fallout of a failing state beset by civil war, political division, and corruption. Despite the work's density, the overall effect that Goldsworthy generates is of meeting a man whose life seems hardly distant from the modern experience. While ancient cultural practices can often feel foreign, the political motivations and machinations, the familial relations and emotions, ring as true today as at the turn of the Common Era. Maps.
