Gregory S. Aldrete

Spartan Warfare

History of the Ancient World

The Decisive Battles of World History

From Augustus to the Fall of Rome

The Roman Empire

Despite military conflicts tragic cost, many battles are regarded as great triumphs, while others are nearly universally declared blunders. What qualifies such battles for special condemnation -- or inquiry, for that matter? Why focus on failure at all?

History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach

The Rise of Rome

A study of the impact of flooding on the ancient city during the classical period. While the remains of its massive aqueducts serve as tangible reminders of Rome’s efforts to control its supply of drinking water, there are scant physical reminders that other waters sometimes raged out of control. In fact, floods were simply a part of life in ancient Rome, where proximity to the Tiber left a substantial part of the city vulnerable to the river’s occasional transgressions. Here, in the first book-length treatment of the impact of floods on an ancient city, Gregory S. Aldrete draws upon a diverse range of scientific and cultural data to develop a rich and detailed account of flooding in Rome throughout the classical period. Aldrete explores in detail the overflowing river’s destructive effects, drawing from ancient and modern written records and literary accounts, analyses of the topography and hydrology of the Tiber drainage basin, visible evidence on surviving structures, and the known engineering methods devised to limit the reach of rising water. He discusses the strategies the Romans employed to alleviate or prevent flooding, their social and religious attitudes toward floods, and how the threat of inundation influenced the development of the city’s physical and economic landscapes. “Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome is that rare thing in scholarship, a work that genuinely fills a gap in the scholarly literature. Professor Aldrete has brilliantly illuminated an aspect of ancient Rome that was ever present to the city’s inhabitants but almost invisible to modern historians.” —Stanley Burstein, history teacher “Raises important questions about the effects of flooding of the Tiber on the city of ancient Rome and its inhabitants and explores why Romans did not take more sweeping steps to reduce, if not eliminate, the dangers of urban flooding. There is no comparable book-length study of this topic, so this work fills a real need. It will be of interest not only to students of ancient history, but to hydrologists and students of urban studies as well. Certainly it will give us classicists much to think about in our assessment of urban life in ancient Rome.” —Harry B. Evans, Fordham University, author of Aqueduct Hunting in the Seventeenth Century

Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome

Alicia Aldrete

Scott M. Bartell

Alexander the Great led one of the most successful armies in history and conquered nearly the entirety of the known world while wearing armor made of cloth. How is that possible? This title provides the answer. It presents a thorough investigation of the linothorax, linen armor worn by Greeks, Macedonians, and other ancient Mediterranean warriors.

Unraveling the Linothorax Mystery

Reconstructing Ancient Linen Body Armor

News and World Report, MSNBC Online, and other international venues, this groundbreaking work will be a landmark in the study of ancient warfare.

A vivid exploration of the many ways the classical world remains relevant today, this is a passionate justification of why we continue to read about and study the lives and works of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Challenging the way the phrase 'That's just ancient history' is used to dismiss something as being irrelevant, Greg and Alicia Aldrete demonstrate just how much ancient Greece and Rome have influenced and shaped our world today in ways both large and small. From the more commonly known influences on politics, law, literature and timekeeping through to the everyday rituals and routines we take for granted when we exercise, dine, marry and dress, we are rooted in the ancient world. Even the political upheaval, celebrity obsession and blurring of public and private boundaries that we see in current news betray ancient characteristics - now brought to the fore here in a new final chapter. If you have ever wondered how far exactly we still walk in the footsteps of the ancients or wanted to understand how study of the classical world can inform and explain our lives today, this is the book for you.

What Have the Greeks and Romans Done for Us?

The Long Shadow of Antiquity

Democracy? Mathematics? The Calendar? Hospitals? This book is an enlightening look at the myriad ways that the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have fundamentally influenced and shaped our modern world. Familiar institutions, rituals, and aspects of everyday modern life are examined to reveal their often surprising classical roots, while the authors explore a selection of the innovations of ancient Greek and Roman civilization to trace how these have developed through history and still affect the world of the twenty-first century. The style is fast-paced and, while drawing on authoritative and current scholarship, the factual information is enlivened with anecdotal details. This book will open the reader's eyes to a new understanding of the world that we live in today.

Discusses daily life in ancient Rome, examining such topics as housing, clothing, food, childbearing, the economy, leisure times, and religion.

Sasha Summers

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