Reddit mentions: The best ancient rome biographies

Ok, two different categories of recs that arent exactly what you asked for but you might want to put on the radar:

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1. Superbly enjoyable stories of bad-assery: I love Alistair MacLean's (historical fiction) books. These two are my favorite. They are the alpha male equivalent of romance beach novels. They are excellent:
   South by Java Head: https://www.amazon.com/South-Java-Head-Alistair-MacLean/dp/0006172482
   The Guns of Navarone: https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Navarone-Alistair-MacLean/dp/0006172474
   
   
2. Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is the single book I would take with me to an island. It reads like a conversation with a friend. Not archaic, not heavy or overwrought, and yet gets to the essence of what it means to be a good man and live a good life. General Mattis used to carry this in combat. I suggest reading it bits at a time, in 20-30 minute sessions. https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X
   
   ​
   
   Some quotes from #2 to give you a sense. Crazy this was just a roman emperor's diary 2000 years ago:
   
   ​
   
   “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...”
   
   “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”
   
   “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
   
   “Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”
   
   “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.”
   “Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.”

This is a great opportunity (when is it not!) to discuss the holding of territory and the pacifying of locals during conquests from the perspective of the Romans, who did quite the conquering.

> Long-term

>Much more boring (in my opinion), but a lot of Roman generals gave land to their legionaries either after a conquest or once a legion - who had proven its self-worth - had expired it's length of service, which depended on the time period. Augustinian reforms raised the length to sixteen years, with four more in reserve. Depends really on the time period. Besides that, Roman's definitely had colonies in its territories, as often the governship of a far region was given to a particularly prominent man. For instance, before he became the man we know and love, Caesar was the governor of Spain.
>

> Short-term

>Now this is the cool stuff. Plutarch tells of a great quotation by Pyrrhus of Epirus who saw the Roman nightly fort for the first time and said, "The discipline of these barbarians is not barbarous." The Roman army built a nightly fort no matter where it was while on the march. A day of marching would lead to a night of digging and entrenching. Not only did this ensure the safety of the army at night, it also played heavily into the psychological warfare that we often overlook by the Romans. Now, these forts were legit - tall wooden walls, outlook towers, and trenches, and they made a new fort every damn day. With the battle over but the war far from won, the Romans continued to make their forts and block their flanks. This along with a decent idea of army logistics (insert joke about Crassus at Carrhae) allowed for the Romans to pick their battles and progress over unknown territory without fear of a counter-attack. They also used many local scouts (insert joke about Varus at the Teutoburg Forest) to help map the territory and play the locals off of one another. These jokes are sarcasm, Crassus and Varus were dumb.

>Another great tactic by the Romans after a successful campaign was to take hostages! Oh blimy. Imagine you just lost your army and your kingdom, and now the victors are willing to: A. not kill everyone, B. assimilate you into their empire, and C. let you keep most of your power, and all you had to do was send them your sons. This was a great way to keep the newly-conquered in check. In his conquest of Gaul, which was filled with many revolts, Caesar took hostages consistently. Oh, looks like the Helvetti have started a rebellion, let's kill one of their King's sons to send a message. Oh look they stopped rebelling.

Basically, the act of invading is a logistical nightmare. One must take into account a supply line, counter-attacks, local demeanor, and about 50 other things that I cannot even fathom from this spot in front of my computer. Unsuccessful invasions lead to the annihilation of armies, and this is why we hold successful invasions as archetype military stratagems. While I am not your high school history teacher, I would suggest reading about Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, and Caesar for a more thorough understanding of military invasions. Personally, Scipio is a boss, but there is more information on the other two.

Sources - Plutarch's Parallel Lives, Caesar's Conquest of Gaul

*edited for grammar and format

Nerves of steel come from confidence and being above fear. Confidence comes from practice and competition. Being above fear comes from a lifestyle of conquering fears.

If you want to be more comfortable on the street, figure out exactly what you're afraid of and get better at it. Are you afraid he's going to hit you? Learn boxing or muay thai or bjj. Are you afraid he's going to yell at you? Learn debate skills.

My dad was a firefighter for a decade. His dad trained WW2 bomber pilots. I asked my dad how he kept calm on intense calls. He said he would rely on his training and took every problem as it came. You have no idea what the scene is going to look like on your way there, but you can trust that you're the best prepared one there, so everyone's depending on you to take charge and lead. Planning ahead is very important, but more important is staying in the moment.

Meditation works out that muscle. Staying in the moment is a muscle in your brain that you have to work out. What fear and anxiety is is you living outside of the moment. Fear is you trying to bring the past into the present. Anxiety is you trying to predict the future. Live in the moment and take shit as it comes. The more you can do that, the more you can relax into chaotic situations with confidence. Just do your best and know that that's all anyone can do in life. We can only do our best.

Another thing is your mindset for life. Always do your best. Always give your fullest. Figure out your core values and live to them every day of your life. If you can say every day that you did your fucking best, then you are going to be able to say "I am ready to die today" and you won't walk around terrified of death. Death is the root fear of all the fears. If you can conquer the fear of death, you will be very strong.

.

There's a lot more to this, I'm just kind of rambling off what comes to mind before I go to work. But this will get you started. I wish you all the best and I hope I've helped some.

Some good resources are Shambhala, The Art of Learning, On Becoming a Leader, Better Under Pressure, Leading at the Edge, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and then this interview with Rickson Gracie (one of the greatest fighters to ever walk the Earth).

First and foremost, 48 Laws of Power. It will show you 100+ ways other people have tried and where they failed and succeeded. It's a great introduction. Get this first.

A lot for these are free on gutenberg.org

Meditations - On being ethical and virtuous in a position of power.


33 strategies of war - A great companion to the 48 laws.

Art of war - Ancient Chinese text on war and power. All but covered in 48 laws.

Hagakure - Japanese text on war and power. All but covered in 48 laws.

On war - Military strategy from Napoleonic era. All but covered in 48 laws.

Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Amazing book.

Seeking Wisdom from Darwin to Munger - Abstract thought models and logic patterns of highly successful people.

The Obstacle is the Way - Not labeled a book on power, more like thriving during struggle, which is important to a leader.

Machiavelli: The Prince - Pretty much the opposite of meditations. All but covered in 48 laws.


Also, here's a good TED talk on why power/civics is important to study: http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_why_ordinary_people_need_to_understand_power?language=en


If you've gone over these and want something more specialized, I can probably help.

Are you planning on taking us over with force or charm?

Seems like the body is great, but if you think your mind is lacking, you have to train that too! Mens sana in corpore sano, you know. I will like to support the idea of meditation; guided meditation is great, and it really helps you put things in perspective and create the self-awareness that you need to know where you stand. Also, I'll recommend you read Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius. Seriously a good read, and it's cheap (or free online)

I infer that you are looking for a secular handle on a normative ethical theory.

Right Conduct: Theories and Application by Bayles and Henley provides a basic outline of essential philosophical thinking from an academic perspective.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, while authored by a Mormon, doesn't have any religious content that I recall and outlines some very useful heuristics for living a moral life. It's targeted at a general audience.


Meditations by Marcus Aurelius does contain some religious content (though here he's not referring to YHWH), but still has a lot of useful ideas with secular application.

You may also be interested in The School of Life and The Greater Good Science Center.

Good luck.

To answer your question rather bluntly: no. At least not during the Republic/early Empire.

Rather than immortalising their families through crests/coats of arms one so regularly sees in medieval history, Romans carried on their legacy through their names. The tria nomina is important in understanding this (relevant during the Republic, begins to fade with the development of Emperors). We'll take Gaius Julius Caesar as an example:

• Gaius is the praenomen (trans.: first name/personal name), the name your parents would bestow upon you, and that which only close friends or family members would address you by.
  
• Julius is the nomen gentilicium (trans.: gentile name/family name) - a way of showing that your family is descended from a specific lineage. Caesar, for example, was part of the gens Julia patrician family, which could trace its lineage to the early Roman Republic. The gens Julia eventually formed the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the Roman Empire.
  
• Caesar is the cognomen (trans.: surname/last name) - another hereditary aspect to naming conventions and identity.
  
  To the senatorial class of Rome, your name (therefore lineage) was massively important in being able to identify yourself - like a coat of arms would be to medieval families. Roman names trace where your family came from and their accomplishments. Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (Africanus was the agnomen, a nickname in other words) is a perfect example of this. His defeat of Hannibal at Zama earned him the final addition to his name, which relatives could also add to show proud military conquests. Again, Scipio can trace his lineage through the nomen gentilicium of Cornelius (the gens Cornelia dynasty). Sorry if I'm rambling, it's just to establish the importance of name.
  
  The importance of coins:
  
  Thousands of coins have survived from Ancient Rome, and they really add to our understanding of Roman society as a whole. There are countless examples of Romans putting their names on coins in conjunction with an image of some sort to represent a certain military or social triumph. Howgego (source below) goes on to talk about how coins began to become a political weapon within the Republic. One can really see the importance of names within this period. Rather than identifying with a coat of arms, one could identify their conquests/importance with a name instead.
  
  Military Context:
  
  In the late Roman Republic, a legion would identify with two things. The first being their standard, which was often an aquila (trans.: eagle). The Roman eagle is a popularly depicted icon, and it was massively important for the legion to keep its standard. Losing a standard could be seen as massively shaming, and Romans would often go to great lengths to get it back. Crassus, for example, is known to have lost the standard at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC - it was eventually recovered. Another way in which a legion identified itself was by its name. Names ranged from Legio I Italica to Legio VI Victrix. Some of these names were also depicted on coins in conjunction with the aquila for the relevant legion (see source below for examples). My point with this is that even the military did not identify with a variety of coats of arms, but a unified standard which represented Rome.
  
  Relevant sources:
  
  
• Griffin, M. (ed.), A Companion to Julius Caesar (early chapter talks about the connection of gens Julia to the early Republic).
  
• Howgego, C. J., Ancient History from Coins (chapter 4 details the development of coins as a political device).
  
• Plutarch, The Life of Crassus (can be found for free, although with a dated translation, on Perseus).
  
• The Berlin Numismatic Collection (an excellent coin database).

> as...portrayed in HBO's Rome

I think there's your problem. Rome is a fabulous, creative show (I just started rewatching it), but it's characterizations are purely for entertainment purposes. For example, Atia is cited by Tacitus as being "exceptionally religious and moral." That other stuff about Octavian is pure fiction, as well. Personally, I don't think Octavian Augustus didn't have that much military expertise, but like every great leader, he confided and trusted his experts.

To get you started on Roman history, I'd recommend Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars.

Try the ice cube trick if the anxiety ever hits and you have a drink handy. I just hold an ice cube in my left hand until it melts. Can still shake hands and everything but the ice cube seems to force my heart to slow down a bit. My best guess is that it triggers the Mammalian Diving Reflex and turns off whatever is derailing.

That trick came from a Viet Nam Vet, has been a huge help as time has gone on.

As for things sticking around, now that I'm well into my 40's the flashbacks and nightmares seem to have slowed to almost nothing - though they can still get triggered by trauma anniversary and other surprises. I have one trauma around a car accident so anytime the brakes squeal behind me I get to have a fun day.

Totally agree that basic Meditation is necessary to get through, can't see it ever being accepted in the public school system here in the US though - hell some places refuse to teach Evolution.

I also think that Philosophy has helped me cope some - Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius have been incredibly helpful reading to sort of adjust the way I see the world these days. I highly recommend the two following books:

http://www.amazon.com/Enchiridion-Dover-Thrift-Editions-Epictetus/dp/0486433595
http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

What are the best books on Hannibal (particularly ones that may have been overlooked)?

Personally I like Lazenby's Hannibal's War (for the academically inclined) and Dodge's Hannibal (for a general audience).

EDIT:

For those interested in learning more about Hannibal, here are my top picks from books actually on my book shelf:

1. Hannibal's War by J. F. Lazenby (little dry, but well documented history)
   
2. The First Punic War: A Military History by J. F. Lazenby (can't really understand Hannibal without the prelude)
   
3. The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy (dude knows more about the Roman Army than anyone)
   
4. Hannibal by Theodore Ayrault Dodge (Dodge was a Union officer in the Civil War and wrote some great books on Hannibal, Caesar, Alexander, etc. ... probably the best companion to primary source material on a first read through -- and it's out of copyright so you can find free copies online)
   
5. Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon by B. H. Liddell Hart (was Scipio the real, and somewhat overlooked, genius of the Second Punic War?)
   
   And recommendations and from /u/gevemacd :
   
   
6. Hannibal A Hellenistic Life by Eve MacDonald (/u/gevemacd herself!)
   
7. Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War by Gregory Daly (I haven't read this, but the slow trapping and butchery 70,000 men on a hot day seems like a fascinating topic for history as it was actually experienced)

>if you (as a Roman citizen) place a high value on glory through combat, does it not follow that this glory would not be enhanced by describing one's vanquished foes as miserable and cowardly, and therefore not very difficult to defeat? That the greatest glory would be achieved by defeating an opponent of great virtue, strength and honor?

Yes, exactly. Caesar in the Bellum Gallicum describes the Gauls as surprisingly (to a Roman audience) clever and tenacious, and takes care to point out that they don't fight like gentlemen should (they hide in the forest instead of lining up for battle, for instance). It took longer to subdue Gaul than Caesar anticipated, and some scholars think that the Bellum Gallicum was written and published year-by-year as a way of explaining what exactly was going on up there. (For more, check out Riggsby's Caesar in Gaul and Rome.)

Read this book. Seriously.

http://www.amazon.com/Julius-Caesar-Philip-Freeman/dp/0743289544/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393953759&sr=1-7&keywords=julius+caesar

It reads so unbelievably well. It's not historical fiction, it's essentially a biography of Caeser focusing on his earlier life that's written in such a fantastic prose style that it reads like fiction. I couldn't put it down. It's one of the best history books I've ever read from an actual writing standpoint (so many of them are interesting but very dry).

Someone else mentioned I, Claudius. I listened to the audiobook, it was okay. I'd recommend it if you really want something on Ancient Rome specifically but as a book I find it didn't age terribly well. They come across a bit heavy. That's not necessarily a bad thing but I find you have to be in the right mood to read a book like that.

I love reading biographies, I find them more inspiring and enjoyable to read than self-help books. Currently I'm reading Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. I highly recommend this book to anyone, prior to this book I only knew what they taught us in History class, this explores so many more aspect of his life, some of which we can all relate to (like his constant drive to improve himself).

[Meditations by Marcus Aurelius] (http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X) is another great book I just finished. Written by a former Roman emperor who ruled during the time of frequent war, disease, and natural disasters, it's about how he dealt with it all as a leader by following the stoic philosophy. Amazing book and helped changed my outlook on the world.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. This is one of those books that isn't geared to self-improvement, but to updating your view of the world. In it Taleb talks about how highly improbably events happen all the time, but we only see them as probable in hindsight. I think it's a great read since we tend to think in cause-and-effect ways, when in fact the world works more in a probabilistic way.

Complete novice? Extra Credits.

Seconding the Podcasts from Carlin, "Punic Nightmares" and Duncan's History of Rome and Born Yesterday. Seriously, Duncan is amazing. Major history hard-on.

Also, the History Channel has a pretty fun website, and there aren't any pawnshop aliens American Trucker-Pickers.

And if you want to read something that was written a tad earlier, Appian's histories cover the Second Punic War in several sections: The Spanish Wars, The Hannibalic War in Europe, and The Punic War and Numidian Affairs about Scipio in Africa (he also writes about the First Punic War), Livy deals with the Second Punic War in chapters 21-25 and 26-30, Polybius uses the Punic Wars to extol (and for us, explain) Roman virtues and institutions, and Plutarch gives two Generals treatment in his Parallel Lives, Fabius and Flaminius.

Modern books, I liked Adrian Goldsworthy's [The Punic Wars] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Punic-Wars-Adrian-Goldsworthy/dp/0304352845), and had WAY too much fun reading this book about Scipio and this book about Hannibal in tandem.

Oh... after you're done with all/any of that you might want to go buy Rome Total War and play as the Scipii. Extra points if you download Europa Barbarorum. Rome 2 is out and presumably awesome (and EB2)

One of the best and most dramatic works I can recommend is The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic, by Robert L. O'Connell. The battle of Cannae was a turning point for Rome, and O'Connell captures the horror and drama of the battle and surrounding events excellently. I HIGHLY recommend it.

In terms of Roman historians... It really depends on what period you're looking at. Want an awesome insight into the military? Go with Caesar's Commentaries of the Conquest of Gaul. Punic Wars? Check out Livy. Definitely check out Plutarch's Parallel Lives as well.

Of course, the quintessential book on the Roman Empire is Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. One can hardly consider themselves a Roman scholar without reading it, and nearly every historian will refer to it at some point.

Oh! And there's an interesting one I came across, for a bit more of a lower-look. By a Roman no less! Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome*, by Apicius is very interesting. Might not be worth it to put on your list, but definitely check it out.

TL;DR: If I have to pick two to add, take the Ghosts of Cannae and Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By a Roman, pick from what's relevant.

Many monk mode books are available as audiobooks on YouTube, or PDF files through torrents.

It's actually great that you're on a low budget for monk mode. Living frugally is a great activity for building a sense of self-efficacy.

Absolute essentials may be:

A notebook to plan, journal, record exercise, etc.

One or two books that you refer back to often enough, or work through slowly (Meditations by Marcus Aurelius comes to mind: http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X)

Maybe some camping gear or other stuff that gets you into nature more often. Tent/sleeping bag/lantern/firemaking supplies.

Outside of that, you don't need anything, and tbh, it's monk mode.. monks don't need anything and that's part of the experience. Good luck man!

P.S. second u/Dr_D1amond on supplements

Land redistribution, citizenship for the Gauls living in northern Italy, and a law that made it so provincial governors had to leave balanced books and not take bribes while in office. There were probably others, but those are the ones I can find.

https://www.amazon.com/Caesar-Life-Colossus-Adrian-Goldsworthy-ebook/dp/B0015R3HJS/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=caesar&qid=1562375492&s=gateway&sr=8-4

This is a pretty good Caesar book I read a while back.

It's pretty nuts how much they tried to obstruct him, actually. He had just come off a great term as governor and wanted to hold a Triumph, a military parade that was usually the zenith of a Roman man's career. But his enemies refused to even let him enter the city to stand for election unless he surrendered his right to a Triumph. They thought he'd never give it up, which would let them deny him becoming consul at age 40, the youngest possible age and a huge honor.

When he shocked them by surrendering his Triumph to become consul, his conservative junior consul, Bibulus, tried to veto every piece of legislation Caesar passed. After enough time had passed, Caesar made a power-sharing deal with Marcus Crassus and Gnaeus Pompey, the two biggest political bosses in Rome at the time. That gave him the cover to use gangs of armed men to beat and threaten Bibulus or his cronies away from using their veto. And even THEN, Bibulus tried to nullify every law passed that year by "watching the sky" and declaring that the gods had given omens declaring the legislation unholy!

Caesar was able to play Pompey and Crassus off each other masterfully to get his command in Gaul, where his conquests made him the equal of his two patrons. This lasted about 10 years, but when Crassus died in Syria, Pompey decided Caesar was too strong and allied with the conservatives to crush Caesar. They basically told him that he would surrender his wealth, his social status, and go into exile, or be executed. He said fuck that, and kicked off the REALLY big civil war that only ended decades later when Caesar's nephew Octavian achieved absolute power as Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. Hundreds of thousands of people had died and most of the bloodlines that had opposed Caesar were extinguished. All because the now-slaughtered rich families didn't want to give up even a pittance to the common people!

As to why they feared him so much? There were other populist reformers that the ruling class didn't kill, most notably Pompey himself. Pompey, however, was of a new family and not really seen as a lasting threat. Caesar, however, had some of the most ancient and noble blood in Rome. He could trace his descent to most of the biggest figures in Roman history, and more recently he was the nephew of BOTH the populist reformer Gaius Marius and the aristocratic dictator Lucius Sulla. In Rome, long before the rise of capitalism, a distinguished bloodline could be far stronger than a great fortune. His impoverished upbringing in the poorest ghettos of Rome also gave him a connection to the common people that no other Roman leader could boast of, and they feared this aristocrat with a populist touch.

A good comparison would probably be if, say, one of the big billionaires in our system suddenly did a heel-face turn and dedicated his fortune to empowering socialist politics in America. There would be absolute pants-shitting terror in the ruling class. Firebrands like Bernie and AOC have to struggle with few resources against multi-billion dollar machines, but if you could wed that to a Koch-style influence complex? You'd be unstoppable.

De Bello Gallico is a great primary text. Scipio Africanus: Rome’s Greatest General is a nice read too

Books regarding how to build your online business / extract value out of an email list come from people who collected their online offerings.

For example: Ryan Levesque "Ask" on how to build products through email lists are a compilation of user stories from what he's done online.

With that said if you're looking for general entrepreneurship books here are a few I would check out:

• My Startup Life by Ben Casnocha. Ben started a company in his teens. Recently he wrote a book with Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) called The Startup of You
  
  
• Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck
  
  
• The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
  
  The best books to read to get through the thick and thin however are not business books. For example, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is excellent

off the top of my head:

Meditations, with The Inner Citadel as a reader

Letters from a Stoic

A Guide to the Good Life by Irvine

Do The Work by Pressfield as well as The War of Art by Pressfield

Managing Oneself by Ducker

Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl

What Predicts Divorce by Gottman

Nicomachean Ethics

Models by Manson seems to be popular on reddit

So Good They Can't Ignore You by Newport, as well

I'm currently reading Triumphs of Experience by Vaillant and find it insightful.

His memoirs, The Gallic Wars and The Civil Wars are great places to start, and they are rather short. And its all written by Caesar, so who better to tell you about how great Caesar is!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquest-Gaul-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140444335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374613113&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Gallic+Wars+Penguin+Classics

http://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Caesar-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140441875/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374613143&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Civil+War+Julius+Caesar

So what you're saying is the book hasn't helped you as much as you hoped? :P

I don't know any books about that specifically, but I think Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling and Marcus Aurelius's Meditations have a lot of really good stuff in them. Kierkegaard's book is about the abstract life of faith, while Marcus Aurelius's is a more down-to-earth practical guide for day-to-day life-- if I didn't know he was a pagan I could almost swear he was a Christian (I think a lot of the Stoics became Christians in the first couple centuries).

You can sort-of compromise by reading the Landmark edition

This includes maps etc. which might help you follow the action.

They also published a bunch of appendices/annexes/essays online (previous books just included these in the print version, but by making them online a side-effect is they're free)

If you go with the secondary source option, I'd consider Caesar, by Adrian Goldsworthy (haven't actually read it, but have read lots of others by him and they're great, and reviews of it draw attention to the Gallic Wars analysis being great as the writer is a military historian

There are many fantastic books. However... I actually find The History of Rome's 20+ podcasts amounting to about 10 HOURS worth of history on the Third Century some of the most casually accessible and in depth examinations of the period around.

He does a good job of collating multiple scholarly sources and building a quality narrative around it. He does more than simply do a political narrative, he also looks into the nature of the "infernal cycle" of rebellion and Diocletian's political and economic restructuring of the empire at the end of the crisis.

He is also aware of the historiographical controversies, like whether Diocletian really intended on defense-in-depth, and the continual sourcing and dating problems, like the unreliability of the Scriptores Historiae Augustae.

Other than those podcasts, which are available for FREE and on iTunes by the way, the books that he cites as sources are quality too.

Aurelian and the Third Century

Diocletian and the Roman Recovery

Plus, Mike Duncan's voice is so soothing. I recommend anyone still confused by the period to check out his podcast.

Alright bro, I'm not gonna sugar coat it... so don't get offended as I am trying to help.

First grab the book meditations: it is ONE dollar,

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

Then subscribe to /r/howtonotgiveafuck

https://www.reddit.com/r/howtonotgiveafuck/

Stop letting stupid people ruin your day, people will be stupid, but that doesn't mean you should get upset. You can't control people being douchebags, but you can control how you react to it.

It doesn't matter who is wrong and who is right, what matters is that it is making you unhappy.... some of the situations you described above you were in the right, and others, maybe not so much... but it doesn't matter.

And lastly, sorry but I think you should find another girl, why do you let her treat you like that? I say this with love, please grow some balls. You don't need to convince anyone of anything, if your girlfriend doesn't believe you, it is not because you didn't explain yourself properly, it is because she doesn't respect you enough. I suggest the book "way of the superior man"

I think I answered most of your questions. To answer your last question, why do you even want to continue hanging out with these people, just find people you like and surround yourself with them.

Get reading! sounds like you are young and still have some time to form yourself into the man you can be!

I'm not a historian, but check out:
http://www.amazon.com/Hannibal-Theodore-Ayrault-Dodge/dp/0306806541

It's a very dry, but interesting read. Dodge goes through the locations of the battles and the tactics that were used. Carthage was wealthy, but not very well liked (even in it's own center of power). Keeping an army of foreign troops and mercenaries together with extreme or non-existant supply lines is the bit that I find most impressive about Hannibal. His conduct in battle was impressive, however. So much so, that the Romans eventually adopted a policy of non-engagement, letting him ravage the country side but preventing him from engaging in a fight with the Roman forces that shadowed his army.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Caesar's first hand, at times braggadocious and totally awesome account of the conquest of Gaul. Highly suggested reading I have read it several times.

Here is a link to the most widely used translation, the Conquest of Gaul by penguin classics. It's 8 bucks folks https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Gaul-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140444335

Hm, I bought this one just because it's the best seller. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/048629823X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I put the one you mentioned on a list for later if I decide to read it again. What makes the Hays' version better?

hi! you commented a long time ago, but hopefully you have a dollar to spare (and a prime membership: http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420595333&sr=8-1&keywords=marcus+aurelius

I found this copy of MA's meditations for a dollar.. and when I went to check out, my final bill came to $.33 after some discounts, and the fact I have amazon prime. Check it out and order this if you want to!

You're far better off reading these books than wasting time with Peterson. Peterson's works are a soothing balm, these men sought after absolute truths -

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

https://www.amazon.com/Critique-Pure-Reason-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140447474/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527773842&sr=1-1&keywords=kant

https://www.amazon.com/Madness-Civilization-History-Insanity-Reason/dp/067972110X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527773870&sr=1-4&keywords=foucault&dpID=41FzjCBzJJL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Nicomachean-Ethics-Aristotle/dp/0872204642/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527773951&sr=1-6&keywords=aristotle&dpID=31b2stlDDgL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Republic-Dover-Thrift-Editions-ebook/dp/B00A73FJ10/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527774019&sr=1-4&keywords=aristotle+the+republic&dpID=51dfJWGupmL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

If you can afford it, please do yourself a favor and buy a copy, I got this one from amazon for $1 (with prime), $1! It is always in my bag with me.

Unfortunately most historical resources seem to have a bias towards Hannibal so Scipio gets shortchanged. I have found Scipio Africanus - Greater Than Napoleon to be a pretty good pro Scipio analysis of his military career.

I enjoyed Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon.

This is a good read if you're interested mate:

www.amazon.co.uk/Conquest-Gaul-Classics-Julius-Caesar/dp/0140444335

I'm not Jeff, but I've struggled with this as well. Some books that have helped me were Way of the Superior Man, 50th Law, and Meditations. They're worth a read.

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

Highly recommend giving this a read.

Not self help, but it will help you.

This wasn't really an event that happened all at once, so while I'm sure there's books specifically about the Romans in Spain, it may be easier to look at the individual events. It really depends how in-depth you want to go. While there was native tribes the real base of power early on was the trading colonies on the southern and eastern coasts established by the Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians, this collection of essays discusses the culture and early settlement of Iberia. After their defeat in the First Punic War, mainly to recoup losses, Hannibal Barca of Carthage began the actual conquest of southern Spain. This is relevant because this was Hannibal's base of departure, which by that point had been extended farther north up the coast, in his campaigns against Rome, and probably Scipio Africanus's most important annexation after Hannibal's defeat. There are so many books on the Second Punic War, I'm sure an index search for Iberia would be helpful. There are many standard books for that, I would look for the cheapest, but maybe be sure that it is not emphasizing only Hannibal in its contents as many books will, if you want info on the actual campaigns in Iberia look up Scipio Africanus's Iberian Campaign, here's a book I know talks about it. Even the wikipedia article, while not a legitimate source to cite, has a massive description of it in this article so you'd get the gist.

After this point, it was essentially a many-centuries long process of resistance against Rome by initially the Carthaginians, and then the natives who were focused more inland, and gradual Roman conquest of the entire peninsula westward to Lusitania, or modern-day Portugal. This is the point where I don't really know any specific books, though you could search individually or simple for "Roman wars in iberia", because there were many many wars with individual tribes, and a continual strong Roman military presence in Iberia, or what we should really be calling Hispania as the romans would. This is all during the Roman republic though, and the final phase of the conquests at the beginning of the Empire is a bit more famous because it involved the fiercely independent, both culturally and politically to this day, peoples that populated the hills and forests of northern Spain, Asturia and Cantabria. It would be the same reasons that the Romans had such a hard time conquering this area, that the Muslims caliphates would later also have a hard time, and this area would actually become the birthplace of the reconquista. I also don't know any sources specific to this, but they are often included in sources about the reign and specifically military campaigns under Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome. Good luck, let me know if you need tips on source-searching

Vin Diesel might make Hannibal the Conqueror, lol. I am sure it will be historically accurate and have many explosions.

Just read Hannibal by Theodore Ayrault Dodge

My preference is the Long version, just for the style (which somehow feels most appropriate for a Stoic philosopher-emperor to have written, at least to me). Be aware that the language is somewhat archaic; if you prefer a more modern-English version (which does paraphrase and summarize quite a bit), try Hays. But you can check out the Long online, so no risk in trying it. Online version.

There are several book versions available on Amazon. This one isn't the version I own, but I was satisfied with my copy of Enchiridion from the same publisher. (Note that, while an editorial review mentioned on the page refers to the Hays translation, the book preview shows the Long translation).

I love getting the opportunity to plug my absolute favorite book

http://www.amazon.com/Scipio-Africanus-Greater-Than-Napoleon/dp/0306813637

Scipio Africanus was the man that beat Hannibal in the second Punic War. If you want a more Hannibal-centric text then I would recommend The War with Hannibal by Titus Livy, though that one was written in antiquity so you'll have to keep that in mind while reading it.

1. The Way Of Men.
   This book changed my life. Im sure anyone on this sub will recognize themselves and the situations Donovan writes about.
   
   
2. Anything by Robert Greene.
   How to become powerful, seductive and master yourself.
   
   
3. Meditations.
   This book helped me overcome my fear of death, which made me give less fucks. Because in the end, nothing matters.
   
   I dont have anymore than that at the moment, but i would suggest reading biographies of great men. Right now im reading Seven Pillars Of Wisdom, T. E. Lawrence(of Arabia)s first hand account of the Arab uprising during the First World War

Hard copy of Meditations on Amazon, $1 + free shipping with prime

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500042921&sr=8-1&keywords=meditations+marcus+aurelius

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

You realize that almost two thousand years ago there was an emperor of Rome that was going through some of the same things that we do and has some wise words on a lot of subjects.

For design engineers whose job requires creativity

(Book 1)

(Book 2)

Meditations is an awesome read! The version on my pictures, though, is an old translation and kind of hard to follow. Dover Thrift offers a contemporary English translation that makes it orders of magnitude more understandable. http://amzn.com/048629823X

Go beyond wikipedia. You won't regret it.

http://www.amazon.com/Scipio-Africanus-Greater-Than-Napoleon/dp/0306813637

Probably the best book on the Second Punic War despite having a terrible title.

Scipio , he face HANNIBAL and defeated him and Carthage. Also, I recommend book by B.H Liddell Hart http://amzn.to/2l4sw1S which goes to an in-depth analysis of the tactics and strategies of Scipio. IMHO, Scipio is better.

If you really want a physical book there's a budget one on amazon.

I bought it when it was only $1 and now it's $1.78

I know you said you're looking for free resources, but this is a good book on the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/Caesar-Gaul-Rome-War-Words/dp/0292726171

I just bought this one on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468363864&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=marcus+auraleus+meditations that has only about 90 pages.

https://www.amazon.ca/Meditations-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

For Canadian Amazon.

You can get a paperback version of Meditations on Amazon for $1.78 right now.

Become a Stoic.

I can't save your life. But God knows I just tried:

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421043430&sr=1-1&keywords=meditations

https://www.amazon.ca/Meditations-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

Meditations is 112 pages, at least, according to Amazon. It depends on your reading speed.

• The Temple in Time and Eternity
  
• Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
  
• Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
  

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

wiki

amazon

1. Botella térmica para tener todo el tiempo agua fría en el escritorio (no hace falta aclarar los beneficios de tomar agua en vez de gaseosas):
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ERYA6D0/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_11?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1EF3XZB4ZXIHL (esta se pasa un poquito pero hay algunas por $10)
   
   
   
2. Un buen libro que te cambie la vida:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496652240&sr=8-1&keywords=meditations+marcus+aurelius

This is the one you're looking for:

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496588594&sr=1-1&keywords=george+long+marcus+aurelius

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

Also add him as historical figure, man was as close to stoic as you can be.

Check out Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Here is the mobile version of your link

Local library might be worth checking out.

I prefer to buy paperbacks so I can fill up my bookcase. Girls are always impressed when they see it because it seems like nobody reads anymore.

**Off topic but Mediations by Aurelius is $1.00 right now. I picked it up last week because I was sick of reading it on my Galaxy.

https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492454670&sr=8-1&keywords=meditations+of+marcus+aurelius

I'm sorry about my ignorance, I'm new here. Is this book: Meditations (Dover Thrift Editions) https://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wTlPDb1PQS3R0


?

The class ended its reading with the conclusion of the British campaign; but that was the point at which all of Gaul rose up behind him... so I finished it in English. I was never good at getting the right ending of anything in Latin, and all the pronouns and tenses are entirely within the endings. Knowing the Latin roots of words, though, that stuck with me. And the slide shows our classics teacher had of ancient roman archeological sites were incredible. He visited Italy and Greece every summer, and made his own slides. The stories from antiquity he told with the slides made classical history come alive for me in a way that enriched my life.

As for books: I'd recommend reading Caesar's book. It's a cunning piece of pro-ceasar propaganda, but the military details are quite accurate, because one of the primary ways to become a Roman citizen was to serve in the army, and this portion of the citizenry was the memoir's target audience. If you're looking for a more scholarly work on the Roman Army, this is the one I read in college for a War & Ancient Society class. It has a very high level of detail, to match its very high price, but it is also quite good.

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X

The audiobook is on youtube, but I dislike audiobooks greatly.

While I certainly agree that Hannibal was great, I'm not so sure that the answer is as simple as his campaign's difficulty. I'm sourcing most of my knowledge from Liddell Hart's Scipio Africanus: Greater than Napoleon, and will definitely read Hannibal's War next.

In summary, Scipio's accomplishments:

• At the age of 24, received command of Roman forces in Spain after his father and uncle's armies were both crushed separately (and both killed) in Spain. The reason he was able to do this at his age was because nobody else volunteered to do so. He proceeded to defeat 4 Carthaginian armies which outnumbered him roughly 8-1 in aggregate, and that includes his Spanish allies, which he did not trust to actually fight.
  
• Due to Senate politics he had to completely rebuild and retrain his army in Sicily prior to his African campaign. So the claim that his army was superior is dubious, imho. He was better equipped, but that was only because he raided and looted one of the largest Carthaginian stockpiles. In the earlier stages of his Africa campaign he was outnumbered over 5-1, yet shattered the Carthaginian army so completely that they had to recall Hannibal, who he then defeated at the Battle of Zama.
  
  He also had a very advanced understanding of strategy and tactics, and most of his battles are actually really interesting to read about. While Hannibal was a great general, most of his tactics were very simplistic, relying on the timidity of Roman generals, and the odds were much more even.
  
  The rest of what you said makes a lot of sense though. I guess knowledge of that era among people who aren't otherwise interested has waned considerably.

> I think a large part of why I'm so unhappy with myself is that I'm so deprived of physical... intimacy.

www.cuddleparty.com <-- Ive never used them, but have heard good things about them.

> It seems like every week you read a new study on how loneliness has highly negative effects on mental and physical health, and it's not something I have control over

Stop reading this shit. You are using it to reinforce your victim complex.

> I can't remember the last time I talked to a girl outside my job.

This is entirely your own fault. Go sign up for a cooking class. Or join a book club. Or go on a wine tour. Or do anything that gets you off the fucking internet.

> I don't see how I could possibly not feel undesirable given my circumstances.

Once again, this is entirely your own fault. The good news is that since YOU are the problem, YOU can also be the solution as soon as you get your head out of your ass.

> Also, I do 99% of my complaining on the internet, because I know it makes me look bad but I also need something to do with those thoughts aside from let them swim around in my head all day

You're so full of shit. That is only part of why you do your complaining on the internet. The real reason is because you feed on the doting of strangers.

I dont hate you, kid. In fact I used to be a lot like you. So I can say with confidence that you are being a total bitch. And the longer you act like a total bitch the longer you will be a total bitch and be seen as a total bitch by others. You are your own worst enemy.

Read these:

• http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/03/16/the-history-of-depression/ <-- the whole website is gold, in fact
  
• Meditations
  
  Do these:
  
  
• read www.startingstrength.com and join a gym.
  
• www.meetup.com
  
• http://www.readerscircle.org/ <-- book club
  
• https://www.groupon.com/local/cooking-classes <-- cooking class coupons
  
• learn a musical instrument (good for stress and girls like musicians)
  
  Good luck