Sep 2, 2020
This is the eleventh in my "Gentleman's Guide to Reading," series. A few days late, but what can you do. This book offers the most complex understanding to date of the emotional and spiritual life of the ancient Romans.
Roman Honor by Carlin Barton
The best book on honor — bar none. Barton masterfully explores how honor shaped the lives of ancient Rome from the early days of the Republic and all the way through the fall of the empire. She shows how small, intimate groups are vital for honor to survive and how imperialism kills it. This book is a hard read, but it’s well worth the effort. The insights are so brilliant that it’s almost startling, and even the footnotes are packed with fascinating asides.