Jason Moralee, professor of history in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, has co-authored an updated edition of “The Historians of Ancient Rome,” a textbook published by Routledge that traces Roman history through ancient sources.

Image

The fourth edition of the book, co-authored with Ronald Mellor, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at UCLA, has been shaped by three generations of scholars. The sourcebook is the most comprehensive collection of ancient Roman sources in a single English volume, making it essential reading for students of Roman history.

Moralee first encountered the text as a doctoral student at UCLA, where he worked on the first edition with Mellor, who was then professor and department chair of Roman history. After years of using the first three editions in his own Roman history courses, Moralee joined Mellor to write the fourth edition as co-editor.

“When it became possible to join Ron as co-editor, I was thrilled,” Moralee says. “Working on this latest edition of ‘The Historians of Ancient Rome’ was a scholarly dream come true. The book brought us into a series of long conversations in Los Angeles about Roman history, how we teach and learn, and about our shared past at UCLA and the evolution of our own friendship over 30 years.”

Further bridging generations in the process of updating the text for today’s students, Moralee was joined by UMass history and German studies undergraduate Anna Lessard as research assistant. Of Lessard’s influence, Moralee said, “She’s a meticulous editor, an insightful reader, and an inspiring interlocutor. This volume would still be in process rather than published if not for the key role that Anna played. Meetings with her helped me see the text in new ways and kept me on target to meet the publisher’s deadlines.”

More information on the book can be found on the Routledge website.