Morgan, M. Gwyn 1937–

PERSONAL: Born 1937. Education: University of Exeter, B.A., 1959, Ph.D., 1962.

ADDRESSES: Office—History Department, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station B7000, Austin, TX 78712. E-mail—mgm@mail.utexas.edu.

CAREER: Educator and writer. University of Texas at Austin, professor of classics and history.

WRITINGS:

69 A.D.: The Year of Four Emperors, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Author M. Gwyn Morgan is a professor of classics and history. It is through this continued scholarship and study of ancient civilizations that Morgan wrote his first book, 69 A.D.: The Year of Four Emperors. The book recounts one of the most politically chaotic years within the Roman Empire. During that timeframe four different men served as emperor—Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. Morgan takes the accounts of five ancient historians, including Tacitus, Suetonius, and Plutarch, and creates a cohesive story that strips away literary embellishments. The author's account is full of details about the events of that year, including Galba's march to Rome, Otho's suicide, Vitellius's extravagance, and the civil war between supporters of Otho and Vitellius.

Overall, 69 A.D. was met with praise from critics and readers alike. For some reviewers, Morgan's ability to weave together the inconsistent and embellished stories of previous historians to create a more historically accurate account made the book an important addition to literature on the subject. Morgan's book "fills in the gaps left by previous accounts," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Others found the author's work to be a detailed and informative study of an important year in the history of the Roman Empire. Morgan creates a "superb portrait of this enigmatic and intriguing year," observed a reviewer for Publishers Weekly.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2005, review of 69 A.D.: The Year of Four Emperors, p. 1126.

Publishers Weekly, September 19, 2005, review of 69 A.D., p. 51.

ONLINE

University of Texas at Austin Web site, http://www.utexas.edu/ (January 16, 2006), biographical information about M. Gwyn Morgan.