Reputable historians...!?

Question

PLease can i have the names of historians and the books they have written, preferably about the middle ages and ancient history e.g. greeks and romans, who are the major names i should be reading books by in these areas???

Answer 1

For ancient history, like the Greeks and the Romans, I would personally read the historics of that time. Their books are translated. Which writer is better, depends on what subject you want to read about:

Greek history:

- Homer (Trojan war and Odysseus' voyage home after the war)

- Herodotus (called the Father of History)

- Plato, even though he was a philosopher, his books gives an insight into the social structures at that time

- Thucydides had first hand information about the Peloponnesian War from his pre-exile days as an Athenian commander. Unlike Herodotus, he didn't delve into the background but laid out the facts as he saw them, chronologically or annalistically.

- Xenophon

Roman history:

- Livy, a Roman historian best known for his work entitled Ab Urbe Condita, which is a history of Rome “from the founding of the city”, covering Roman history from its founding, commonly accepted as 753 BC, to 9 BC.

- Julius Caesar (The De Bello Gallico is Caesar’s account of the Gallic Wars)

- Sallust (C. Sallustius Crispus)

- Tacitus

- Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (Suetonius) is most famous for his biographies of the Julio-Claudian and Flavian emperors and other notable historical figures

I see Brother Ranulf says to "Always avoid Wikipedia like the plague" but it can serve as a starting point to go from there. You can find other major Roman historians at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_histo...

For the Middle Ages I would suggest the same method. Since it is the period between the classical civilization of Antiquity and Modern Times a lot has happened during that long time (the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the division of Western Christianity in the Reformation with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, the Italian Renaissance, the beginning of European overseas expansion and a lot of wars like the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths, the Crusades into the Holy Land etc.) Here too, it all depends what part of history you are looking for.

Hope this helped you out a bit.

Add: I was just rummaging through my movies in the garage and if you like watching movies and want to know more about the Roman Emperors from Augustus to Claudius' death, I would highly recommend the series "I, Claudius". The book is by Robert Graves and follows the history of the Roman Empire, from approximately the death of Marcellus (24/23 BC) to Claudius' own death in 54 AD. As Claudius narrates his life, you see Augustus' attempts to find an heir, often foiled by his wife Livia who wants her son Tiberius to become emperor. You also see the conspiracy of Sejanus, the infamous reign of Caligula, and Claudius' own troubled period of rule. I have to add that it is rated at times, for adult contents. There is more info at this link

http://amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0074006/

Answer 2

For the Greeks and Romans, books by Peter Connolly, Graham Webster, Dr Boris Rankov, Peter Wilcox, John Peddie and many more.

For the Medieval period, books by Christopher Gravett, anything published by the Museum of London or British Museum, Urban Tigner Holmes, the writings of Gerald of Wales, David Nicholle, Helen Nicholson and many more.

Amazon is probably a good place to start - there are so many books it would be impossible to list them here.

Always avoid Wikipedia like the plague.

Answer 3

Go to the sources.  Herodotus and his "Histories".  I also recommend Pliny, and slightly more contemporary Gibbons'  " The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome".  They are excellent starters.  Here is a short list which I hope will be of some use:  Christopher Hill, A.J.P Taylor, Eric Hobswan.Sometimes it helps to get a feel of the culture of the time so I would forward Plautus, Shakespeare, and the plays of Trevor Griffiths.

Answer 4

JOSEPHUS!!!!!!!

This Jewish historian was an eye witness of the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70, I think he was being held prisoner by the Romans who were surrounding the city. This man is greatly respected for his truthfulness and accuracy. Worth checking out.

Answer 5

History is under constant revision (due to newly found artifacts, documents, approaches, and the like). Will and Ariel Durant wrote a highly respected 12 volume history of civilization - great stuff. "The Waning of the Middle Ages" by Huizinga is awesome.  "Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome" by J>P>V>D> Dalsdon is an exellent illustrated work. "The Civilization of the Middle Ages" by Norman Cantor is another classic, as is  "The Ancient City" by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges.. Dover Books has many classics reprinted quite inexpensively.