by Michael Parenti
The New Press
2003, paperback
SKU: 9781565849426
A people's history of ancient Rome - Intrigue, murder, and class struggle at the heart of the Roman Empire
Most historians, both ancient and modern, have viewed the Late Republic of Rome through the eyes of its rich nobility. In The Assassination of Julius Caesar, Michael Parenti presents us with a story of popular resistance against entrenched power and wealth. As he carefully weighs the evidence concerning the murder of Caesar, Parenti sketches in the background to the crime with fascinating detail about wider Roman society. In these pages we find reflections on the democratic struggle waged by Roman commoners, religious augury as an instrument of social control, the patriarchal oppression of women, and the political use of homophobic attacks. The Assassination of Julius Caesar offers a whole new perspective on an era we thought we knew well.
"This lively, lucid tract reminds us that historians gotta have attitude as well as game." - KIRKUS