Our book is out! Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome is an consideration of the history that the Romans and Greeks told about the early days before the republic. There’s plenty of stories, didacticism, and some very suggestive myths.
It’s been a labour of love over the past couple of years to bring together this tome, but our magnificent octopus has truly arrived!
What’s to love about the kings?
Our aim with this book has been to put to paper an accessible history with a strong support from the ancient evidence and the modern scholarship. Like our podcast, we have strong faith in you to appreciate the nuance of history and to enjoy the human foibles that inevitably shine through the action. If you’re keen to learn more about the Romans, the regal period is a great place to begin.
Many of the qualities that the Romans tend to define themselves by come through the tales they tell about the kings. There are also challenges to appreciate – to what extent can we be sure these stories reflect events that happened? We come to grips with the complexities of the source material and draw attention to anomalies as we consider the lives of the kings.
Our collaboration with Highlands Press
In the spirit of our indie podcast, we’re also excited to be working with an indie publisher. Based in Australia, Highlands Press seeks to promote the work of Australian historians. We are honoured to be working with them to bring you this book. If you’d like to snag yourself a copy, head over to their website: https://highlands-press.com/product/rex/
Highlands Press ships internationally (huzzah!), but we know it’s tough for many to afford a new book. We recommend getting in touch with your community or university library to enquire about adding our book to their collection. Libraries are a phenomenal resource and a precious one – we would be thrilled to know that a copy of Rex is available not only to you, but the wider reading public as well.
Going back to where it all began
For us, the Roman kings are special. They mark the start of our ongoing podcast series From the Founding of the City and their stories are told and re-told as Rome’s history unfolds.
If you’re keen for a comparison of just how far we’ve come over the last ten years of podcasting (let’s not talk about the sound quality!), then it could be fun to compare how we write about the kings in Rex and how we talked about them WAY back in 2014. Truly, it was another age! Episode 36 – Romulus and Remus is the place to start.
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