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How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower Audiobook
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In AD 200, the Roman Empire seemed unassailable, its vast territory accounting 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. This 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. 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 greater good of the state.
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“Derek Perkins brings just the right note of erudition and modernity to this daunting subject…He achieves a fine rendition of this superb writer’s measured, impartial tone. Here, without the benefit of a central focusing figure like Caesar or Augustus, the narrator’s own pace and focus must fill in the gap, and Perkins finds his thread, as Goldsworthy does, in our own knowledge and understanding of the great empire whose language, artifacts, and institutions—and collapse—still shape our world today.”
— AudioFile
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“Goldsworthy gives a vivid account…[that] tells us clearly and well—and without attempts at literary majesty—about the series of events that brought Rome’s western empire to a state of collapse.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Clearly and powerfully articulated.”
— Telegraph (London) -
“Goldsworthy asserts that…it was civil war and paranoia that destroyed the empire from within…How Rome Fell speeds both the casual and Rome-savvy reader through 400 years of tumultuous and world-changing history.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“Weaves a compelling narrative that has enough new research to keep even well seasoned ‘Romanphiles’ satisfied.”
— Washington Times -
“[A] masterful survey.”
— New Criterion -
“On a more profound level, Goldsworthy has depicted the grim process by which the Res Publica, the common good of the Roman many, was sacrificed for the self-preservation of the Imperial few, leading in due course to the destruction of all.”
— California Literary Review -
“[A] level of scholarship, analysis, and lucid prose…makes sense of 300 years of poorly documented wars, murders, and political scheming. Highly opinionated, he presents surviving documents and archeological evidence to back his views…This richly rewarding work will serve as an introduction to Roman history but will also provide plenty of depth to satisfy the educated reader.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
This richly rewarding work will serve as an introduction to Roman history, but will also provide plenty of depth to satisfy the educated reader.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Awards
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month for May 2009
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About Adrian Goldsworthy
Adrian Goldsworthy received his DPhil degree in ancient history from Oxford and has taught at Cardiff University, King's College, and the University of Notre Dame in London. He is the author of numerous books, including Phillip and Alexander, Pax Romana, How Rome Fell, and Caesar.
About Derek Perkins
Derek Perkins is a professional narrator and voice actor. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, as well as numerous Society of Voice Arts nominations. AudioFile magazine named him a Best Voice consecutively in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Augmented by a knowledge of three foreign languages and a facility with accents, he has narrated numerous titles in a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.