Anthony Everitt

El nombre de Nerón, emperador del Imperio romano entre los años 54 y el 68, ha sido durante mucho tiempo sinónimo de crueldad, decadencia y despotismo. Según nos han contado, ordenó prender fuego a Roma y, mientras tanto, el tocaba la lira; luego, hizo limpiar los destrozos y las ruinas carbonizadas y construyo un gran palacio. Cometio incesto con su madre, Agripina, quien lo puso en el trono, y luego lo asesino... Pero todas estas historias no forman una imagen completa del personaje, lleno de matices y contradicciones.Por el contrario, durante su mandato, el Imperio estuvo bien administrado; presidio triunfos diplomaticos, y las legiones finalmente consquistaron Britania, tras vencer a la feroz reina icena Boudica, que habia encabezado una de las mayores revueltas a las que Roma jamas se tuvo que enfrentar. Neron amaba el arte, la cultura y la musica, y se gano la fidelidad de las clases bajas organizando espectaculos grandiosos. Y, segun parece, no mando incendiar Roma.Ahora, al fin, gracias a esta biografia escrita por el historiador Anthony Everitt y el periodista de investigacion Roddy Ashworth, podemos comprender realmente quien fue Neron y cual fue su historia. Y, ademas, podemos disfrutar de una antigua Roma que cobra vida.

El nombre de Nerón, emperador del Imperio romano entre los años 54 y el 68, ha sido durante mucho tiempo sinónimo de crueldad, decadencia y despotismo. Según nos han contado, ordenó prender fuego a Roma y, mientras tanto, el tocaba la lira; luego, hizo limpiar los destrozos y las ruinas carbonizadas y construyo un gran palacio. Cometio incesto con su madre, Agripina, quien lo puso en el trono, y luego lo asesino... Pero todas estas historias no forman una imagen completa del personaje, lleno de matices y contradicciones.Por el contrario, durante su mandato, el Imperio estuvo bien administrado; presidio triunfos diplomaticos, y las legiones finalmente consquistaron Britania, tras vencer a la feroz reina icena Boudica, que habia encabezado una de las mayores revueltas a las que Roma jamas se tuvo que enfrentar. Neron amaba el arte, la cultura y la musica, y se gano la fidelidad de las clases bajas organizando espectaculos grandiosos. Y, segun parece, no mando incendiar Roma.Ahora, al fin, gracias a esta biografia escrita por el historiador Anthony Everitt y el periodista de investigacion Roddy Ashworth, podemos comprender realmente quien fue Neron y cual fue su historia. Y, ademas, podemos disfrutar de una antigua Roma que cobra vida.

“Desde intrigas cortesanas hasta batallas navales. Una biografía que se lee como una novela de aventuras. Intensa y apasionante.”The Washington Post Book WorldCésar Augusto fue uno de los hombres más

Um relato magistral de como uma minúscula cidade-estado na Grécia Antiga, com apenas 200 mil habitantes, se tornou uma das civilizações mais influentes da história.Este livro conta como Atenas, em um

Cesar Augusto fue uno de los hombres más influyentes de la historia y el primer emperador de Roma. Tras una juventud enfermiza, con una marcada tendencia a caer gravemente enfermo en períodos de crisis, Augusto supo sobreponerse con inteligencia, meticulosidad, paciencia y valentia. Lucho y derroto a los asesinos de su padre adoptivo, y posteriormente aniquilo sin piedad a su antiguo aliado Marco Antonio y a su amante Cleopatra. Trabajo concienzudamente, reconstruyo Roma y la transformo en una poderosa metropolis y en uno de los centros politicos y artisticos mas importantes del mundo antiguo. Gracias a Augusto, Roma consolido su paso de ciudad-estado a imperio global, poniendo los cimientos de la futura Europa. El autor nos ofrece tambien un apasionante retrato de una epoca dominada por la intriga, el sexo, la violencia, el escandalo y la ambicion mas despiadada.

La de Marco Tulio Cicerón (106 a. C.43 a.C.) es la historia de un hombre que, procedente de una familia de caballeros (équites), se hizo a sí mismo después de adquirir una impresionante cultura literaria, cientifica, filosofica y juridica de la mano de los mas reputados filosofos de su tiempo en Grecia y Asia y que, de regreso a Roma, llego a ser uno de los principales abogados y oradores de su tiempo y emprendio una fulgurante carrera. Sin embargo, tambien es la historia de un republicano convencido e insobornable que, a lo largo de su extensa vida, no dejo de acumular enemigos sobre todo debido a la fidelidad a sus convicciones y nos lego una impresionante obra retorica, filosofica y politica."Ciceron" fue elegida por Andrew Roberts y Allan Massie como el mejor libro del año publicado en Gran Bretaña.

A magisterial account of how a tiny city-state in ancient Greece became historys most influential civilization, from the bestselling author of acclaimed biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian Filled with tales of adventure and astounding reversals of fortune, The Rise of Athens celebrates the city-state that transformed the worldfrom the democratic revolution that marked its beginning, through the citys political and cultural golden age, to its decline into the ancient equivalent of a modern-day university town. Anthony Everitt constructs his history with unforgettable portraits of the talented, tricky, ambitious, and unscrupulous Athenians who fueled the citys rise: Themistocles, the brilliant naval strategist who led the Greeks to a decisive victory over their Persian enemies; Pericles, arguably the greatest Athenian statesman of them all; and the wily Alcibiades, who changed his political allegiance several times during the course of the Peloponnesian Warand died in a hail of assassins arrows. Here also are riveting you-are-there accounts of the milestone battles that defined the Hellenic world: Thermopylae, Marathon, and Salamis among them. An unparalleled storyteller, Everitt combines erudite, thoughtful historical analysis with stirring narrative set pieces that capture the colorful, dramatic, and exciting world of ancient Greece. Although the history of Athens is less well known than that of other world empires, the city-states allure would inspire Alexander the Great, the Romans, and even Americas own Founding Fathers. Its fair to say that the Athenians made possible the world in which we live today. In this peerless new work, Anthony Everitt breathes vivid life into this most ancient story.Praise for The Rise of Athens[An] invaluable history of a foundational civilization . . . combining impressive scholarship with involving narration.Booklist Compelling . . . a comprehensive and entertaining account of one of the most transformative societies in Western history . . . Everitt recounts the high points of Greek history with flair and aplomb.Shelf Awareness Highly readable . . . Everitt keeps the action moving.Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Anthony Everitts The Rise of Rome Romes history abounds with remarkable figures. . . . Everitt writes for the informed and the uninformed general reader alike, in a brisk, conversational style, with a modern attitude of skepticism and realism.The Dallas Morning News [A] lively and readable account . . . Roman history has an uncanny ability to resonate with contemporary events.Macleans Elegant, swift and faultless as an introduction to his subject.The Spectator An engrossing history of a relentlessly pugnacious citys 500-year rise to empire.Kirkus Reviews Fascinating history and a great read.Chicago Sun-Times

NATIONAL BESTSELLER An excellent introduction to a critical period in the history of Rome. Cicero comes across much as he must have lived: reflective, charming and rather vain.The Wall Street JournalAll ages of the world have not produced a greater statesman and philosopher combined.John Adams He squared off against Caesar and was friends with young Brutus. He advised the legendary Pompey on his botched transition from military hero to politician. He lambasted Mark Antony and was master of the smear campaign, as feared for his wit as he was for his ruthless disputations. Brilliant, voluble, cranky, a genius of political manipulation but also a true patriot and idealist, Cicero was Romes most feared politician, one of the greatest lawyers and statesmen of all times. In this dynamic and engaging biography, Anthony Everitt plunges us into the fascinating, scandal-ridden world of ancient Rome in its most glorious heydaywhen senators were endlessly filibustering legislation and exposing one anothers sexual escapades to discredit the opposition. Accessible to us through his legendary speeches but also through an unrivaled collection of unguarded letters to his close friend Atticus, Cicero comes to life as a witty and cunning political operator, the most eloquent and astute witness to the last days of Republican Rome.Praise for Cicero [Everitt makes] his subjectbrilliant, vain, principled, opportunistic and courageouscome to life after two millennia.The Washington Post Gripping . . . Everitt combines a classical education with practical expertise. . . . He writes fluidly.The New York TimesIn the half-century before the assassination of Julius Caesar . . . Rome endured a series of crises, assassinations, factional bloodletting, civil wars and civil strife, including at one point government by gang war. This period, when republican government slid into dictatorship, is one of historys most fascinating, and one learns a great deal about it in this excellent and very readable biography.The Plain DealerRiveting . . . a clear-eyed biography . . . Ciceros times . . . offer vivid lessons about the viciousness that can pervade elected government.Chicago TribuneLively and dramatic . . . By the books end, hes managed to put enough flesh on Ciceros old bones that you care when the agents of his implacable enemy, Mark Antony, kill him.Los Angeles Times

He found Rome made of clay and left it made of marble. As Romes first emperor, Augustus transformed the unruly Republic into the greatest empire the world had ever seen. His consolidation and expansion of Roman power two thousand years ago laid the foundations, for all of Western history to follow. Yet, despite Augustuss accomplishments, very few biographers have concentrated on the man himself, instead choosing to chronicle the age in which he lived. Here, Anthony Everitt, the bestselling author of Cicero, gives a spellbinding and intimate account of his illustrious subject. Augustus began his career as an inexperienced teenager plucked from his studies to take center stage in the drama of Roman politics, assisted by two school friends, Agrippa and Maecenas. Augustuss rise to power began with the assassination of his great-uncle and adoptive father, Julius Caesar, and culminated in the titanic duel with Mark Antony and Cleopatra.The world that made Augustusand that he himself later remadewas driven by intrigue, sex, ceremony, violence, scandal, and naked ambition. Everitt has taken some of the household names of historyCaesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony, Cleopatrawhom few know the full truth about, and turned them into flesh-and-blood human beings.At a time when many consider America an empire, this stunning portrait of the greatest emperor who ever lived makes for enlightening and engrossing reading. Everitt brings to life the world of a giant, rendered faithfully and sympathetically in human scale. A study of power and political genius, Augustusis a vivid, compelling biography of one of the most important rulers in history.

What can we learn from the stunning rise and mysterious death of the ancient worlds greatest conqueror? An acclaimed biographer reconstructs the life of Alexander the Great in this magisterial revisionist portrait.[An] infectious sense of narrative momentum . . . Its energy is unflagging, including the verve with which it tackles that teased final mystery about the specific cause of Alexanders death.The Christian Science Monitor More than two millennia have passed since Alexander the Great built an empire that stretched to every corner of the ancient world, from the backwater kingdom of Macedonia to the Hellenic world, Persia, and ultimately to Indiaall before his untimely death at age thirty-three. Alexander believed that his empire would stop only when he reached the Pacific Ocean. But stories of both real and legendary events from his life have kept him evergreen in our imaginations with a legacy that has meant something different to every era: in the Middle Ages he became an exemplar of knightly chivalry, he was a star of Renaissance paintings, and by the early twentieth century hed even come to resemble an English gentleman. But who was he in his own time? In Alexander the Great, Anthony Everitt judges Alexanders life against the criteria of his own age and considers all his contradictions. We meet the Macedonian prince who was naturally inquisitive and fascinated by science and exploration, as well as the man who enjoyed the arts and used Homers great epic the Iliad as a bible. As his empire grew, Alexander exhibited respect for the traditions of his new subjects and careful judgment in administering rule over his vast territory. But his career also had a dark side. An inveterate conqueror who in his short life built the largest empire up to that point in history, Alexander glorified war and was known to commit acts of remarkable cruelty. As debate continues about the meaning of his life, Alexanders death remains a mystery. Did he die of natural causesfelled by a feveror did his marshals, angered by his tyrannical behavior, kill him? An explanation of his death can lie only in what we know of his life, and Everitt ventures to solve that puzzle, offering an ending to Alexanders story that has eluded so many for so long.

A fascinating insight into the mind of the Roman emperor.Sunday Telegraph (London)Born in A.D. 76, Hadrian lived through and ruled during a tempestuous era, a time when the Colosseum was opened to the public and Pompeii was buried under a mountain of lava and ash. Acclaimed author Anthony Everitt vividly recounts Hadrians thrilling life, in which the emperor brings a century of disorder and costly warfare to a peaceful conclusion while demonstrating how a monarchy can be compatible with good governance. What distinguished Hadrians rule, according to Everitt, were two insights that inevitably ensured the empires long and prosperous future: He ended Romes territorial expansion, which had become strategically and economically untenable, by fortifying her boundaries (the many famed Walls of Hadrian), and he effectively Hellenized Rome by anointing Athens the empires cultural center, thereby making Greek learning and art vastly more prominent in Roman life.By making splendid use of recently discovered archaeological materials and his own exhaustive research, Everitt sheds new light on one of the most important figures of the ancient world.

A striking, nuanced biography of Nerothe controversial populist ruler and last of the Caesarsand a vivid portrait of ancient RomeExciting and provocative . . . Nero is a pleasure to read.Barry Strauss, author of The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at ActiumThe Roman emperor Neros name has long been a byword for cruelty, decadence, and despotism. As the stories go, he set fire to Rome and thrummed his lyre as it burned. He then cleared the charred ruins and built a vast palace. He committed incest with his mother, who had schemed and killed to place him on the throne, and later murdered her.But these stories, left behind by contemporary historians who hated him, are hardly the full picture, and in this nuanced biography, celebrated historian Anthony Everitt and investigative journalist Roddy Ashworth reveal the contradictions inherent in Nero and offer a reappraisal of his life. Contrary to popular memory, the empire was well managed during his reign. He presided over diplomatic triumphs, and his legions overcame the fiery British queen Boudica who led one of the greatest revolts Rome had ever had to face. He loved art, culture, and music, and he won the loyalty of the lower classes with fantastic spectacles. He did not set fire to Rome.In Nero, ancient Rome comes to life: the fire-prone streets, the deadly political intrigues, and the ongoing architectural projects. In this teeming, politically unstable world, Nero was vulnerable to fierce reproach from the nobility and relatives who would gladly usurp him, and he was often too ready to murder rivals. He had a vision for Rome, but, racked by insecurity, he perhaps lacked the stomach to govern it.This is the bloodstained story of one of Romes most notorious emperors: but in Everitt and Ashworths hands, Neros life is also a complicated, cautionary tale about the mettle required to rule.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE KANSAS CITY STARFrom Anthony Everitt, the bestselling author of acclaimed biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian, comes a riveting, magisterial account of Rome and its remarkable ascent from an obscure agrarian backwater to the greatest empire the world has ever known. Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to become the ancient worlds preeminent power. Everitt fashions the story of Romes rise to glory into an erudite page-turner filled with lasting lessons for our time. He chronicles the clash between patricians and plebeians that defined the politics of the Republic. He shows how Romes shrewd strategy of offering citizenship to her defeated subjects was instrumental in expanding the reach of her burgeoning empire. And he outlines the corrosion of constitutional norms that accompanied Romes imperial expansion, as old habits of political compromise gave way, leading to violence and civil war. In the end, unimaginable wealth and power corrupted the traditional virtues of the Republic, and Rome was left triumphant everywhere except within its own borders. Everitt paints indelible portraits of the great Romansand non-Romanswho left their mark on the world out of which the mighty empire grew: Cincinnatus, Romes George Washington, the very model of the patrician warrior/aristocrat; the brilliant general Scipio Africanus, who turned back a challenge from the Carthaginian legend Hannibal; and Alexander the Great, the invincible Macedonian conqueror who became a role model for generations of would-be Roman rulers. Here also are the intellectual and philosophical leaders whose observations on the art of government and the good life have inspired every Western power from antiquity to the present: Cato the Elder, the famously incorruptible statesman who spoke out against the decadence of his times, and Cicero, the consummate orator whose championing of republican institutions put him on a collision course with Julius Caesar and whose writings on justice and liberty continue to inform our political discourse today. Romes decline and fall have long fascinated historians, but the story of how the empire was won is every bit as compelling. With The Rise of Rome, one of our most revered chroniclers of the ancient world tells that tale in a way that will galvanize, inform, and enlighten modern readers.Praise for The Rise of Rome Fascinating history and a great read.Chicago Sun-Times An engrossing history of a relentlessly pugnacious citys 500-year rise to empire.Kirkus Reviews Romes history abounds with remarkable figures. . . . Everitt writes for the informed and the uninformed general reader alike, in a brisk, conversational style, with a modern attitude of skepticism and realism.The Dallas Morning News [A] lively and readable account . . . Roman history has an uncanny ability to resonate with contemporary events.Macleans Elegant, swift and faultless as an introduction to his subject.The Spectator[An] engaging work that will captivate and inform from beginning to end.Booklist

Alejandro III de Macedonia construyó un imperio que se extendía por todos los rincones del globo, desde el tranquilo y calmo reino de Macedonia hasta el mundo helénico, Persia y, en última instancia, hasta la India. El confiaba en detenerse solo al llegar al oceano Pacifico, pero todo se acabo antes, con su prematura muerte a los treinta y tres años.De esto hace a dos milenios, pero las historias de su vida, tanto de hechos reales y como lengendarios, han mantenido a Alejandro, conocido por "el Magno" siempre vivo a lo largo de la historia de las civilizaciones, pues su legado es eterno. Pero ¿quien fue realmente Alejandro en su tiempo? Han sido muchas las teorias y estudios sobre el personaje, pero al fin, en este ensayo biografico, Anthony Everitt lo juzga conforme a los criterios de su epoca, considerando todas las posibles contradicciones. Podemos, ahora si, conocer al principe macedonio: naturalmente curioso y fascinado por la ciencia y la exploracion, fue un hombre que disfrutaba de las artes y que usaba la gran epopeya de Homero, la Iliada, como biblia. A medida que conquistaba mas y mas tierras y veia su imperio crecer, Alejandro mostro respeto por las tradiciones de sus nuevos subditos y un juicio cuidadoso al gobernar sobre tan vastos territorios. Pero tambien su vida tuvo un lado oscuro: conquistador empedernido que construyo el imperio mas grande de la historia hasta el momento, tambien glorifico la guerra y fue conocido por cometer actos de notable crueldad. He aqui la biografia definitiva del mas grande estratega de la historia.

Alejandro III de Macedonia construyó un imperio que se extendía por todos los rincones del globo, desde el tranquilo y calmo reino de Macedonia hasta el mundo helénico, Persia y, en última instancia, hasta la India. El confiaba en detenerse solo al llegar al oceano Pacifico, pero todo se acabo antes, con su prematura muerte a los treinta y tres años. De esto hace a dos milenios, pero las historias de su vida, tanto de hechos reales y como lengendarios, han mantenido a Alejandro, conocido por "el Magno" siempre vivo a lo largo de la historia de las civilizaciones, pues su legado es eterno. Pero ¿quien fue realmente Alejandro en su tiempo? Han sido muchas las teorias y estudios sobre el personaje, pero al fin, en este ensayo biografico, Anthony Everitt lo juzga conforme a los criterios de su epoca, considerando todas las posibles contradicciones. Podemos, ahora si, conocer al principe macedonio: naturalmente curioso y fascinado por la ciencia y la exploracion, fue un hombre que disfrutaba de las artes y que usaba la gran epopeya de Homero, la Iliada, como biblia. A medida que conquistaba mas y mas tierras y veia su imperio crecer, Alejandro mostro respeto por las tradiciones de sus nuevos subditos y un juicio cuidadoso al gobernar sobre tan vastos territorios. Pero tambien su vida tuvo un lado oscuro: conquistador empedernido que construyo el imperio mas grande de la historia hasta el momento, tambien glorifico la guerra y fue conocido por cometer actos de notable crueldad. He aqui la biografia definitiva del mas grande estratega de la historia.

César Augusto fue uno de los hombres más influyentes de la historia y el primer emperador de Roma.Tras una juventud enfermiza, con una marcada tendencia a caer gravemente enfermo en períodos de crisis, Augusto supo sobreponerse con inteligencia, meticulosidad, paciencia y valentia. Lucho y derroto a los asesinos de su padre adoptivo, y posteriormente aniquilo sin piedad a su antiguo aliado Marco Antonio y a su amante Cleopatra. Trabajo concienzudamente, reconstruyo Roma y la transformo en una poderosa metropolis y en uno de los centros politicos y artisticos mas importantes del mundo antiguo. Gracias a Augusto, Roma consolido su paso de ciudad-estado a imperio global, poniendo los cimientos de la futura Europa.El autor nos ofrece tambien un apasionante retrato de una epoca dominada por la intriga, el sexo, la violencia, el escandalo y la ambicion mas despiadada.