Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
- Author: Tom Holland
- Page count: 464
- Started on: 2025/04/20
- Finished on: 2025/05/01
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
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Rubicon recounts the fall of the Roman Republic, from around 150 BC to 25 BC, centering on Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC. By crossing the Rubicon with his army - something Roman law explicitly forbade - Caesar effectively declared war on the Roman state.
The book draws on a wide range of historical sources, which shows in the depth of its coverage. The author also definitely tries to build an interesting story out of all the facts, with vivid depictions of the main characters, and the politicking going on behind the scenes.
I found it hard to stay engaged with the book though. While I learned a lot, the sheer number of names and events made it feel more like a dense summary than a compelling narrative. I would have preferred a more focused look at a smaller set of key events.
