How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Rome
Cover of the book How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower by Adrian Goldsworthy, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Adrian Goldsworthy ISBN: 9780300155600
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: May 12, 2009
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Adrian Goldsworthy
ISBN: 9780300155600
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: May 12, 2009
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

In AD 200, the Roman Empire seemed unassailable. Its vast territory accounted for most of the known world. By the end of the fifth century, Roman rule had vanished in western Europe and much of northern Africa, and only a shrunken Eastern Empire remained. What accounts for this improbable decline? Here, Adrian Goldsworthy applies the scholarship, perspective, and narrative skill that defined his monumental Caesar to address perhaps the greatest of all historical questions—how Rome fell.

It was a period of remarkable personalities, from the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius to emperors like Diocletian, who portrayed themselves as tough, even brutal, soldiers. It was a time of revolutionary ideas, especially in religion, as Christianity went from persecuted sect to the religion of state and emperors. Goldsworthy pays particular attention to the willingness of Roman soldiers to fight and kill each other. Ultimately, this is the story of how an empire without a serious rival rotted from within, its rulers and institutions putting short-term ambition and personal survival over the wider good of the state.

How Rome Fell is a brilliant successor to Goldsworthy's "monumental" (The Atlantic) Caesar.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In AD 200, the Roman Empire seemed unassailable. Its vast territory accounted for most of the known world. By the end of the fifth century, Roman rule had vanished in western Europe and much of northern Africa, and only a shrunken Eastern Empire remained. What accounts for this improbable decline? Here, Adrian Goldsworthy applies the scholarship, perspective, and narrative skill that defined his monumental Caesar to address perhaps the greatest of all historical questions—how Rome fell.

It was a period of remarkable personalities, from the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius to emperors like Diocletian, who portrayed themselves as tough, even brutal, soldiers. It was a time of revolutionary ideas, especially in religion, as Christianity went from persecuted sect to the religion of state and emperors. Goldsworthy pays particular attention to the willingness of Roman soldiers to fight and kill each other. Ultimately, this is the story of how an empire without a serious rival rotted from within, its rulers and institutions putting short-term ambition and personal survival over the wider good of the state.

How Rome Fell is a brilliant successor to Goldsworthy's "monumental" (The Atlantic) Caesar.

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book Intelligence in the Flesh by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book The Duel by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Jewish High Society in Old Regime Berlin by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Ultima Thule by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830 by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book America the Possible by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book The Life of Louis XVI by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Neuroimmunity by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Nation of Devils by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Galileo by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book The Escorial: Art and Power in the Renaissance by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book The Soviet Theater by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Jonathan Swift by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Culture, Capitalism, and Democracy in the New America by Adrian Goldsworthy
Cover of the book Walt Whitman and the Culture of American Celebrity by Adrian Goldsworthy
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy