In this examination of the Roman institution of slavery; Brent Shaw presents a compelling selection of the ancient testimony relating to Spartacus and the slave wars. In 73 B.C.; in the heart of Rome’s Mediterranean empire; a slave named Spartacus ignited one of the most violent episodes of slave resistance in the history of the Roman Empire — indeed in the world annals of slavery. Organizing 80 original Greek and Latin source translations into topical chapters on the daily life of slaves trained as gladiators and those who labored on farms in Italy and Sicily; Shaw includes accounts of revolts that preceded and anticipated that of Spartacus. In a carefully crafted introductory essay; Shaw places Spartacus in the broader context of first and second century B.C. Roman Italy and Sicily and explains why his story continues to be a popular symbol of rebellion today. The volume also includes a glossary; chronology; selected bibliography; 3 maps; an annotated list of ancient writers; and questions for consideration.
#2382848 in Books 1988-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 #File Name: 0312017723330 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Dominic P.Good nostalgic collection.0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Hey; Mac; Keep Yourself Out of the StoryBy Mike HFirst; the good: author Henry Berry rightfully pays tribute to U.S. Marines (and some Navy corpsmen) who served in the Korean War; which for the most part has been forgotten. Included were some tales of bravery -- and some welcome hilarity. But aside from that; there are some serious issues that; as a journalist; I have several problems with.First; for some reason; even though the book bears his name; Berry feels it necessary to include himself in every chapter. "So and So told me." "I said this; I thought that." Cardinal sin! He could have easily kept himself out of the story and let the men do their own talking. He also gets too caught up in using first names instead of last names (sounds like today's so-called football broadcasters). Plus the reader doesn't need his opinion. Again; let the guys who did the fighting do the talking.Also; the lack of first reference was pretty bad; although not totally absent. If a Marine uses slang or a technical term; pretend the reader won't know what it is and use a glossary or an asterisk (which Berry did on occasion).It's understandable that more than 30 years after the Korean War that some of the veterans will not remember some first names or last names of some fellow Marines or the names of some hill in Korea. That's why a writer takes the time to do some painstaking fact-checking. A good writer knows where to find these resources.If you want to read a truly incredible account of the Korean War; try John Toland's epic "In Mortal Combat 1951-53." If you want to read about the U.S. Marines in particular; you can't go wrong with "The Last Stand of Fox Company" by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin."Hey; Mac..." may not have been bang-up; but I give credit to Berry; a former (not ex-!) Marine who saw some action at the close of World War II with the Sixth Marine Division; for paying homage to the brave men in the Unites States Marine Corps (and those awesome corpsmen) and their actions in Korea. Semper Fi!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An interesting book on the Korean ConflictBy Thomas R. ClarkeI started Mr. Berry’s book with a bit of apprehension. I had my doubts as to whether his approach of interviewing numerous people; then putting those interviews into book form would work. However I soon found out that it worked very well. The various accounts of people who actually took part in the conflict were quite interesting. Some of the accounts also go into their prewar; postwar and liberty experiences.The author starts the book with an over view of the state of the US military; particularly the Marines; between WWII and Korea and their lack of preparedness. Despite the unpreparedness fighting units were quickly formed with the help of a massive call up of the Reserves.The fact that many of the troops involved in the Inchon landing had; only weeks before; been working their day jobs back in the States was quite surprising.The testimony of those who took part in the Chosin Reservoir campaign gives details on how terrible the conditions were; among other things.MacArthur’s decision to send his forces into North Korea as winter set in comes under scrutiny in the book. A comparison is made to Hitler’s and Napoleon’s fatal decisions to attack Russia in campaigns that stretched into the winter.It’s an interesting book on the Korean Conflict that I think rates 4 stars.
