Review: Silla

Silla by Fran�ois Hinard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a re-read. I really didn't remember much from the first time around, and I had given it only 3 stars, which is usually not a reason to read it again. But I was annoyed that I knew so little about Sulla, so I decided to give it another go.

And I'm glad I did. I think I have to raise my rating of this book now, and possibly lower my rating of myself as a reader.

Sulla is certainly an interesting character, and while the author seems to be a bit of an apologist for him, I'm inclined to be convinced it is with good reason.

Here is a man who seems unbeatable in battle (beating both Jugurtha, Mithridates and another Roman Army led by his superior Gaius Marius). He returns to Rome to become dictator, but then abdicated the throne to live as a private citizen and dies a natural death (presumably).

It seems odd to me that his reputation is by and large a pretty bad one, while someone like Julius Caesar, who wanted to remain dictator and ended up being stabbed to death, is so often revered.

4 stars

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