Nardo, Don. Classical Civilization: Rome.

Nardo, Don. Classical Civilization: Rome.  Morgan Reynolds  128p  $28.95      978-1-59935-174-2       jr/sr Series: World History           VG         

This is a historical overview of ancient Rome, its leaders and its world expansion.       It is not known where the Romans originally came from, but there are legends that point in the direction of ancient Troy and one of its survivors.  Regardless of where they came from, they settled in Italy and took over the region and expanded their rule.  There were numerous excellent Roman leaders, such as Julius Caesar, a Roman Statesmen and military leader who left a lasting impression on Rome. The Romans conquered a very large part of the world, and everywhere they went they built roads, aqueducts, baths, magnificent buildings and many other wonders. The Romans left a legacy that is still influential today.  For example, the U.S. Senate was fashioned after the Roman senate, and today we use Roman models for roads and urban planning.

World History is a series that includes eight books on ancient worlds.  Each book has a bibliography, a list of sources, a timeline, pictures, maps, a list of web sites, a glossary and an index.       --Magna Diaz

Mara, Wil The Romans

Mara, Wil   The Romans   

Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark  2012  64p   22.95 978-1-60870-768-3 

 ms    VG          

 Rome’s civilization gave the world many discoveries and inventions.  Roman contributions to transportation, architecture, agriculture, science and technology are discussed.    Color illustrations and photos complement the informative text in this volume in the Technology of the Ancients series.  Many of the ideas utilized by the Romans were not necessarily new, but they refined them into the practices and technology that influenced the modern period.  Roads, bridges, aqueducts, mills, concrete, hypocausts, arches, insulae (apartment buildings) and public toilets, are just a few examples of Roman contributions to Western civilization.  All are explained here in an easy-to-understand format, with plentiful color illustrations and photos.

A timeline, glossary, bibliographical references and an index complete the volume.  All in all, a good introduction to Roman ingenuity and inventions.  Good for research and interesting enough to appeal to even the most reluctant reader.  Technology of the Ancients (MC)    This book is part of the Technology of the Ancients series.  There are 5 books in the series at this time.  The overall theme of the series is how ancient ingenuity produced some of the “technology” still used in modern times.      Ancient Rome      Pat Naismith