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How Rome Fell

Death of a Superpower

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How Rome Fell

Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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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.

©2009 Adrian Goldsworthy (P)2014 Tantor Ancient Europe Rome
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What the critics say

"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)
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A shorter and updated version of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. I have listened to several of Adrian Goldsworthy’s books on Roman history, so I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to listen to another before it leaves my Audible Plus library. I have been meaning to listen to Gibbon’s tome forever… and almost wish I had done so before Goldsworthy’s version. That’s partly because there was less information (such as learnings from archaeological digs) then, and partly because Goldsworthy may so many references to Gibbon in the beginning that it was almost annoying.

How Rome Fell has very good audiobook chapter titling, so it’s easy to navigate, though I still wish there had been a PDF accompaniment.

Comprehensive

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I'm not sure that this subject matter translates to the audiobook format. Historian Adrian Goldsworthy essentially offers a meticulously-researched *textbook* documenting the final 3 centuries of the Roman Empire - when emperors & usurpers & coalitions rose and fell from power in days/months rather than years/decades. Goldsworthy discusses shifts in religious beliefs (Pagan -> Christian), outside pressures from Parthians/Persians + barbarians (Goths, Vandals, Huns, etc), the divide into East/West Empire, agricultural challenges, economic reform, and endless internal power struggles & Civil Wars.
Goldsworthy ultimately concludes that
Sociopolitical ennui led to indifference to challenges and bureaucratic inertia, Basically, Rome died of boredom and a "who cares" attitude.. but the author sticks to a chronological narrative with side commentary inserted where possible rather than arguing cogently for his theory. Sitting with a paper/ebook iteration - complete with footnotes, index, and bibliography - would doubtless suit the academic work better than listening through a set of earbuds. I found my mind wandering annoyingly frequently.

As to presentation: Reader Derek Perkins maintains a remarkable interest in the text despite rote exposition. The book doesn't challenge him with voice-acting or emotive segments - so I can't judge his narration skills - but I was left with the impression that Tantor Audio Inc. could have cast any professional in their stable of readers and gotten similar results to those offered by Mr. Perkins.

Altogether, 'How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower' merits 5.5 stars out of 10. It was a reasonable listening distraction for free - and the book is edifying - but you should stick to a text version when they ask for a Credit.

Fascinating.. If Strikingly Dry

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