Welcome to the Companion Website for the fourth edition of The Romans!

This website provides a wealth of extra information to support the text.  In particular, it features a new didactic component: case studies. Following recent trends in evidence and research based learning, these case studies offer a detailed analysis of specific types of evidence, events and individuals in Roman history.  Expanding upon materials from the book, the case studies illustrate how we use evidence to reconstruct the ancient world and encourage students to question the evidence; considering what “proof” it provides.  How do we reconstruct the image of Romulus’ hut?  How do we prove the Capitoline Bronze Wolf is a fake? Did Caesar want to be King? What is “Roman” in Roman architecture? How did the Roman “testudo” formation work in an ancient battle?  How many people were literate in the Ancient Rome?

There is not always a definite answer to these questions. However, the documents and accompanying PowerPoint PDFs (in addition to providing further information) illustrate the analytical process and the use of evidence in formulating in argument. Materials from these cases studies have been carefully selected and integrated so that certain concepts, individuals and events are drawn together.  In addition to making the material more cohesive, this approach allows students to see how a single event, individual, or piece of evidence, can inform a number of different discussions.

The website is organised by chapter and there you will find:

• Additional images and discussions on material from the book
• Didactic case studies which feature
• Research and evidence based learning through a thoughtful treatment of specific events, concepts, individuals and material evidence
• Downloadable Word documents (ca. 2,000 words) which set out a question, a clear line of argument, as well as an illustration of how different types of evidence are used (and what each type contributes) to the discussion
• Accompanying PowerPoint PDFs presentations with additional images and labels to illustrate the evidence and the analytical process
• An extended historical timeline and a literary timeline
• Chapter by chapter galleries of images from the book in color

This website is an invaluable aid for students and also a repository for material that will be useful for instructors teaching a course on Roman civilization, developing knowledge as well transferable research and analytical skills.

Book Information Complimentary Exam Copy