Matyszak, Philip

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Matyszak, Philip

PERSONAL:

Education: University of London, B.A. (with honors); St. John's College, M.A.; University of Oxford, D.Phil.

ADDRESSES:

Office—21 Middle Ln., Teddington, Middlesex, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer and educator. Herald, Harare, Zimbabwe, journalist, 1977-80; Horsforth Advertiser, Leeds, England, journalist, 1981-83; London Study Centre, London, England, teacher, 1988-92; International Language Academy, Oxford, England, teacher, 1993-96; Collegio San Carlo, Milan, Italy, teacher, 1996-2000; Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations, Cambridge, England, information technology officer, beginning 2001. Has also taught an e-learning course for the Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge University.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Derby-Bryce prize, University of London.

WRITINGS:

Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus, Thames & Hudson (New York, NY), 2003.

The Enemies of Rome: From Hannibal to Attila the Hun, Thames & Hudson (New York, NY), 2004.

The Sons of Caesar: Imperial Rome's First Dynasty, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 2006.

Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 2007.

Contributor to books, including Seventy Great Battles of History, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Philip Matyszak, a journalist and educator who has worked in Zimbabwe, Italy, and England, is the author of a number of works about ancient history. In Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus, Matyszak profiles fifty-seven kings, consuls, and tribunes, including such well-known figures as Tarquin the Proud, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony, as well as Licinius Crassus, who crucified thousands of slaves, and Cato the Censor, a statesman, soldier, and historian.

In The Enemies of Rome: From Hannibal to Attila the Hun, Matyszak argues that, contrary to popular belief, Roman civilization "was not the great, unifying, predestined force to shape modern Europe," observed a critic in the Contemporary Review. Rather, he sug- gests that some of the peoples that were vanquished by Roman forces, including the Celts, Dacians, and Carthagians, had civilizations equal or superior to their conquerors. The collapse of Rome, the author contends, created a vacuum that led to the Dark Ages.

Matyszak tells the story of six men—Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—who ruled during the Julio-Claudian dynasty in The Sons of Caesar: Imperial Rome's First Dynasty. Clay Williams, writing in Library Journal, praised the "readable narrative" and described the work as "an interesting exercise in historiography."