Tom Holland - Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic

In Rubicon, Cambridge- and Oxford-educated historian and novelist Tom Holland gives us a harrowing and exciting account of the fall of the Republic, one that begins in 100 BC, the approximate birthdate of the generation that was to bring about the Republic's ruin. He then traces the development of these men into the ruling minds of the Republic, and the occurrence at the Rubicon that marked the end of the expansionism for which they had fought. Rubicon captures the suspense and drama of Rome's most famous political rivalries and shows its vibrant and charged atmosphere, all the while featuring some of the most celebrated personalities in history–Julius Caesar, Cicero, Spartacus, Cleopatra, Brutus, Pompey, Virgil, and Augustus. As America embarks on its own imperial adventures, Rubicon is the chronicle of Rome for which we have all been waiting–carefully researched and wildly compelling.

Kirkus Reviews

A splendid account of the death of the Roman Republic, particularly notable for the author's ability to decode the underlying beliefs that drove events. It's no surprise that British novelist Holland (Slave of My Thirst, 1997, etc.), who has adapted such classical texts as the Aeneid for radio, brings formidable storytelling talents to a drama that begins with the temporary collapse of Roman rule over Asia in 89 b.c., climaxes with Julius Caesar's fatal crossing of the Rubicon (a direct violation of the sacrosanct prohibition against bringing soldiers bearing arms into Italy) in 49 b.c., and reaches its sorry conclusion in 27 b.c., when his great-nephew Octavian was renamed "Augustus," in effect becoming emperor. More unexpected is Holland's brilliant portrait of Republican Rome's worldview. In this "savagely meritocratic" society, "there was no distinguishing between political goals and personal ambition." Campaigning for important posts like consul, magistrate, and tribune, candidates shamelessly spread money, influence, and the threat of mob violence. The system worked because everyone accepted the verdict of the voters, however achieved, and officials stepped down after their allotted year to compete all over again. Roman patricians often won their first fame as generals, but true glory came only from being acknowledged by their fellow citizens; force bowed to law, and "the age-old balance between ambition and duty" curbed the privileged class's excesses. This delicate balance began to tip in 88 b.c., when Sulla marched on Rome rather than accept a political defeat; he renounced his role as dictator after one year, but later malcontents would not be so scrupulous. Power and honor hadalways been inseparable in Republican Rome, but the tide slowly turned toward power pure and simple. Without glossing over the brutality, hypocrisy, and corruption of the late Republic, Holland conveys appreciation for traditions that had endured for half a millennium and regret at their destruction. With its mordant depiction of a republic pursuing imperial ends while its citizens pay lip service to political values they no longer practice, Holland's gripping narrative has particularly uncomfortable resonance for contemporary American readers.


0108 _ Ch 01_The Paradoxical Republic _ Ancestral Voices
0115 _ Ch 01 _ The Paradoxical Republic _ The Capital of the World
0201 _ Ch 01 _ The Paradoxical Republic _ Blood in the Labyrinth
0207 _ Ch 02 _ The Sibyl's Curse _ Sacker of Cities
0210 _ Ch 02 _ The Sibyl's Curse _ Choking on Gold
0217 _ Ch 02 _ The Sibyl's Curse _ A Trumpet in the Sky
0304 _ Ch 03 _ Luck Be a Lady _ The Rivals
0307 _ Ch 03 _ Luck Be a Lady _ Thinking the Unthinkable
0314 _ Ch 03 _ Luck Be a Lady _ Missing the Joke
0319 _ Ch 04 _ Return of the Native _ Sulla Redux
0402 _ Ch 04 _ Return of the Native _ Sulla Felix
0409 _ Ch 04 _ Return of the Native _ Sulla Dictator
0415 _ Ch 05 _ Fame is the Spur _ A Patrician's Progress
0503 _ Ch 05 _ Fame is the Spur _ Round and Round the Racetrack
0512 _ Ch 05 _ Fame is the Spur _ The Bull and the Boy
0517 _ Ch 05 _ Fame is the Spur _ The Shadow of the Gladiator
0605 _ Ch 06 _ A Banquet of Carrion _ The Proconsul and the Kings
0613 _ Ch 06 _ A Banquet of Carrion _ The War Against Terror
0618 _ Ch 06 _ A Banquet of Carrion _ The New Alexander
0703 _ Ch 07 _ The Debt to Pleasure _ Shadows in the Fishpond
0707 _ Ch 07 _ The Debt to Pleasure _ Party People
0713 _ Ch 07 _ The Debt to Pleasure _ Caelius's Conspiracy
0801 _ Ch 07 _ The Debt to Pleasure _ Scandal
0806 _ Ch 08 _ Triumvirate _ Cato's Gambit
0814 _ Ch 08 _ Triumvirate _ Clodius Raises the Stakes
0820 _ Ch 08 _ Triumvirate _ Caesar's Winning Streak
0905 _ Ch 08 _ Triumvirate _ Pompey Throws Again
0912 _ Ch 09 _ The Wings of Icarus _ Crassus Loses his Head
0920 _ Ch 09 _ The Wings of Icarus _ Ad Astra
1006 _ Ch 09 _ The Wings of Icarus _ Weeping for Elephants
1015 _ Ch 09 _ The Wings of Icarus _ Mutually Assured Destruction
1104 _ Ch 10 _ World War _ Blitzkrieg
1108 _ Ch 10 _ World War _ Pompey's Victory Feast
1116 _ Ch 10 _ World War _ The Queen of Cosmopolis
1203 _ Ch 10 _ World War _ Anti-Cato
1213 _ Ch 11 _ The Death of the Republic _ The Last Stand
1302 _ Ch 11 _ The Death of the Republic _ The Winner Takes it All
1313 _ Ch 11 _ The Death of the Republic _ The Republic Restored


13 cds | 15.7 hrs | unabridged | Clipper Audio (W.F. Howes Ltd.) | 2005
vbr 73.0 kbps avg | 44100 1ch.m
~500 mb, 4% for recovery