Author: in60Learning
Publication: June 9th 2019 by in60Learning
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History
Purchase it on: Amazon
Rating: 4/5★
Smarter in sixty minutes. Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning. Concise and elegantly written non-fiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Life is short, so explore a multitude of fascinating historical, biographical, scientific, political, and financial topics in only an hour each. Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix was a Roman general and statesmen who would become dictator of Rome. Dictatorship in the ancient world was very different than how it is thought of today - a single man was elected to take charge to pull the country back from the precipice. And that is exactly what Sulla did, fighting for both the interests of the rich and poor and leading Rome to military victory. However, his choices would destabilize Roman power and inspire other up and coming politicians - most notably, Julius Caesar, ultimately leading to the downfall of the Republic he so loved.
Books, no matter how short or long they are, about ancient Rome is definitely my kind of thing. I didn't hesitate one second when I saw this book was free to read. Knowing the topic and who the book was about I already had a feeling I was going to like it a lot. And I was right!
I already knew some basic things about Sulla that I had learned from other books and podcasts but this book just went deeper into his life and how his actions inspired future Roman policitians like Julius Caesar. Without Sulla we definitely wouldn't know ancient Rome as we know it to be. He even has the chance to execute Julius Caesar but in the end didn't do it so who knows how this could've shaped not only the ancient world but also our modern one.
Overall, I thought this short biography about Sulla's life was extremely fascinating. I couldn't get enough of reading it. It's only about 36 pages so it's a quick read and on top of that also very interesting if you're interested in the Roman republic before it became the Roman empire.
- Sulla's full name was Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix
- Sulla was told by a mystic seer from Chaldea that he "would die at the height of his fame and fortune". This impacted him greatly.
- Dictatorships in the ancient world were often different than we think of them today, as it was usually an elected position.
- Julius Caesar, later, would ridicule Sulla for resigning the dictatorship; he could not understand how a man would hand absolute power away.
- Sulla retired to his family's country villa in Puteoli with his wife and his long-time lover, the actor Metrobius.
Some pictures related to the book:
Apparent bust of Sulla in the Munich Glyptothek
Ruins of the town Aeclanum, conquered in 89 BC by Sulla.
Lucius Cornelius Sulla - a denarius portrait issued by his grandson.
Check out my other in60Learning reviews:
These short reads would be perfect for my lunch hour at work - I need to keep them in mind!
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