James Romm Bücher

Wenn die Philosophen Trauer tragen! Wir kennen den edlen Römer Seneca, den Stoiker und Autor ethischer Schriften, der mit verklärtem Blick seinen Tod erwartet. Aber es gibt noch einen anderen Seneca – den skrupellosen Politiker und Tyrannenlehrer, der als engster Berater Neros fungiert. Seine Geschichte erzählt James Romm in diesem packenden Buch über das alltägliche Sterben am Hof des Kaisers. Wird es Seneca als Erzieher des jungen Nero gelingen, seinen Zögling zum ersten römischen „Philosophenkönig“ zu formen? Dem steht der Sinn eher nach Musik, Frauen und rauschenden Gelagen. Kaum dass er im Jahre 54 seine Regierung antritt, beginnt sich eine Spirale aus Verunsicherung, Misstrauen und Größenwahn zu drehen. Mit scharfem Blick für die Windungen der neronischen Tyrannenherrschaft zeichnet Romm das Grauen nach, das bald in Rom um sich greift. Dort sterben nicht nur vermeintliche Konkurrenten – nein, das Blutvergießen Neros gipfelt im Mord an der eigenen Mutter. Der Kaiser lässt sich auch nicht die Chance entgehen, nach einer gescheiterten Verschwörung in einer wahren ‚Säuberung‘ die führenden Senatoren hinzurichten. Schließlich ist Seneca selbst an der Reihe und muss erkennen, dass sich die süße Milch der Weisheit, mit der er seinen Schüler einst nährte, in das Gift eines Ungeheuers verwandelt hat.

Als 323 v. Chr. Alexander der Große völlig überraschend im Alter von kaum 33 Jahren in Babylon stirbt, ist sein ganzes Geschlecht – das makedonische Königshaus der Argeaden - dem Tode geweiht. Was sich in den folgenden 25 Jahren an Intrigen und Gewalt, Mord und Krieg abspielt, kann mit jedem Königsdrama Shakespeares mithalten. James Romm beschreibt meisterhaft die dramatischen Ereignisse im Kampf um das Erbe Alexanders. In einer gespenstischen Sterbeszene nimmt Alexander Abschied von seinen engsten Gefährten, die ihm von Jugend auf vertraut waren und mit ihm buchstäblich die Welt erobert hatten. Die Frage, auf wen sein Reich übergehen solle, soll er mit den Worten beantwortet haben: "Auf den Stärksten“. Wer aber der Stärkste ist, muss blutig ausgekämpft werden. Als Resultat dieses Ringens versinkt das riesige Herrschaftsgebilde, das sich über drei Kontinente ausdehnt, in einer nicht enden wollenden Folge von Kriegen. Dabei werden die Familienangehörigen des Toten zu Faustpfändern in den Händen der Diadochen, der ehemaligen Generäle Alexanders, von denen jeder versucht, die gesamte Macht auf sich zu vereinen. In seiner mitreißenden Schilderung der stürmischen Ereignisse und der ebenso leidenschaftlichen wie gewissenlosen Akteure ist dem Autor ein wahres Epos über den Untergang eines Weltreichs gelungen.

During twelve years of continuous campaigns, Alexander conquered an empire that stretched from the shores of the Adriatic to the edge of modern India.

When Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-two, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west all the way to modern-day India in the east. In an unusual compromise, his two heirs—a mentally damaged half brother, Philip III, and an infant son, Alexander IV, born after his death—were jointly granted the kingship. But six of Alexander’s Macedonian generals, spurred by their own thirst for power and the legend that Alexander bequeathed his rule “to the strongest,” fought to gain supremacy. Perhaps their most fascinating and conniving adversary was Alexander’s former Greek secretary, Eumenes, now a general himself, who would be the determining factor in the precarious fortunes of the royal family. James Romm, professor of classics at Bard College, brings to life the cutthroat competition and the struggle for control of the Greek world’s greatest empire.

This work comprises the first western historical writing. It provides a history of the then known world, and provides answers to questions such as: why did Pheidippides run from Marathon to Athens and why did Leonides and the Spartans comb their hair before the battle of Thermopylae.

Praise for James Romm's DYING EVERY DAY Romm adeptly expounds the puzzle of Seneca's life. -The New Yorker James Romm stitches this tapestry of evil together with a practiced hand. -Buffalo News A splendid and incisive historical page-turner. . . . This is how history should be written: vivid storytelling springing to life at a master's touch. . . . Romm's narrative proves so compelling precisely because he concentrates on character, combining erudite scholarship with a novelist's flair for telling detail. The result becomes an exception to the rule: When exercised with wisdom, dexterity and fervor, literary power shines as incorruptible. -Wichita Eagle Thoroughly engaging and fascinating. . . . A high-stakes drama, laced with murders, madness, and despotism. . . . The highlight of the spring season. -Hudson Valley News Romm's compulsively readable account of imperial intrigues (incest, murder, suicide) brings contradictory visions of Seneca into three- dimensional focus. -Chronogram Romm's approach combines the commonly known with the fascinating, but more obscure. He makes a sustained point of showing Seneca as neither black nor white, neither totally deserving of his fate, nor so noble that all charges should drip off his well-oiled back. He shows different sides to the emperors as well and puts the women of the Caesars into their well-deserved positions of prominence. . . . The fact that Romm presents the Stoic philosopher in this novel complex light and that he shows sides of the more famous that aren't common knowledge leaves me feeling [like] I got an awful lot out of reading it. Have I mentioned, I really, really liked this book? -N. S. Gill, About.com Historians from Seneca's contemporaries through the present day have puzzled over his true character. Ascetic Stoic moralist or conniving courtier? Romm doesn't claim to settle the centuries-old mystery, but sheds light using ancient sources and occasional references to modern critics, joining his readers in marveling at a regime remembered by history for its shocking excesses. -Julia Jenkins, Shelf Awareness (Starred Review) Extensively researched. A book that will be welcomed by both scholars and those with a more casual interest in history. In addition and most important to our time is the detailed study of power politics and the inevitable consequences of weakness and corruption allowing power to be concentrated into few hands... An engrossing account of a time when rational thought was set aside in favor of passion and when good men cowed in the face of tyranny and did nothing to stem it. -New York Journal of Books

"The historians of Ancient Greece were pioneers of a new literary craft, and their work stands among the most enduring and important legacies of the Western world and the foundation of a major discipline. This highly readable edition includes key selections from Herodotus--often called the "father of history"--Thucydides, Xenophon, and Plutarch, whose biographies drew on primary sources since lost to history. It collects their most popular, and most widely taught, work in a single, accessible volume. The stories included here chart the landmark events of Ancient Greece--the Persian War, Peloponnesian War, and the lives of Alexander the Great and Demetrius--and add up to a sweeping portrait of the Hellenic world. The Greek historians were also the first to explore the possibilities of their craft, introducing, at the very dawn of the field, the concept that historical writing is far more than a chronicle of past events. Taken together, the Greek histories draw attention to each author's emphasis on religion, leadership, character, and the lessons to be drawn from war. How, for instance, should readers interpret Herodotus's inclusion of speeches and dialogues, dreams, and oracles as part of the "factual" record? What did Thucydides understand about human nature that (as he said) stays constant throughout time? How did Plutarch frame historical biography as a form of portraiture, a means of depicting the moral qualities of the great? Thucydides and Xenophon were also contemporaries of the eras they wrote about--the original word "historie" meaning "inquiry"--so their work provides a vital eyewitness account of turbulent times"

A portrait of one of the ancient world's first political celebrities, who veered from failure to success and back again

The thrilling look into the last decades of ancient Greek freedom leading up to Alexander the Great's destruction of Thebes-and the saga of the greatest military corps of the age, the Theban Sacred Band.

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations serves as a timeless guide for living a good life, blending stoic philosophy with practical wisdom. This illustrated edition enhances his teachings with thematic chapters, modern commentary, and curated life lessons tailored for contemporary readers. It features fifty meditations paired with thoughtful artwork that brings Aurelius' insights to life, making it an engaging introduction to stoicism. Whether contemplating resilience or harmony, this book offers a visually enriched pathway to understanding and applying Aurelius' enduring principles.