Taken at the Flood

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 13 JAN 2014

In general, there are several go-to topics in Roman history that invariably prove the most popular, regardless of audience or historical moment: Rome's efficient politics, charismatic leaders, inexorable decline, and a smattering of made-for-TV battles are too good to resist. The relatively slow, borderline obscure, subjugation of the Macedonian Empire decades before the birth of Julius Caesar, however, hardly stirs the popular imagination. Yet, as independent scholar and translator Waterfield (Dividing the Spoils) cogently and convincingly argues, perhaps no other action was more important in allowing Rome to become Rome (it's the famous defeat of Hannibal that usually gets the nod). But when Macedon finally fell, the bustling Mediterranean world was Rome's for the taking. Waterfield makes Roman imperialism central to his narrative, demonstrating again and again how exceptionally aggressive Rome was for its age, the subtle execution its policies notwithstanding. On top of producing a traditional academic history, Waterfield has composed a stimulating and provocative meditation on imperialism itself, both in antiquity and in our own society.