Starred Review. At only 40 years of age, British historian Goldsworthys (Caesar) ninth Roman history offers the same high level of scholarship, analysis and lucid prose as the previous eight. After a superb survey of Roman politics and civilization, Goldsworthy begins with the death in A.D. 180 of emperor Marcus Aurelius, whose reign is traditionally viewed as the apex of Roman power. During the disastrous century that followed, emperors rarely ruled more than a few years most were murdered, and civil wars raged, though there was some stability during the reigns of Diocletian and Constantine. Invasions slowly chipped away at the empire until it vanished in A.D. 476 with the abdication of the last Western emperor. Goldsworthy 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 such as that Constantine became Christian because Roman leaders traditionally believed that divine help won battles, and the Christian god seemed to Constantine like the front-runner. This richly rewarding work will serve as an introduction to Roman history, but will also provide plenty of depth to satisfy the educated reader.

lgrsnf/N:\!genesis_\0day\!non_fiction\How Rome Fell_ Death of a Superpower.epub

nexusstc/How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower/6bc634ea1214aaa4e5661bcc2308df7c.epub

Adrian Keith Goldsworthy

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Brandywine River Museum

Mariners' Museum, The

Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2009

United States, United States of America

New Haven, Connecticut, 2009

First Edition Thus, 2009

Illustrated, 2010

Sep 28, 2010

lg2418464

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Includes bibliographical references (p. 449-465) and index.

Source title: How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

<p><p>in Ad 200, The Roman Empire Seemed Unassailable. Its Vast Territory Accounted For Most Of The Known World.&#160;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.&#160;what Accounts For This Improbable Decline?&#160;here, Adrian Goldsworthy Applies The Scholarship, Perspective, And Narrative Skill That Defined His Monumental <i>caesar</i> To Address Perhaps The Greatest Of All Historical Questions&#151;how Rome Fell.<p>&#160;<p>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.&#160;it Was A Time Of Revolutionary Ideas, Especially In Religion, As Christianity Went From Persecuted Sect To The Religion Of State And Emperors.&#160;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.<p>&#160;<p>how Rome Fell Is A Brilliant Successor To Goldsworthy's Monumental (<i>the Atlantic</i>) <i>caesar</i>.</p> <h3> The Barnes & Noble Review </h3> <p> There's Been A Steady Stream Of Books About The Fall Of The Roman Empire These Last Few Years. Publishers' Interest Reflects A Popular Perception That There Is Something To Be Learned About Contemporary America From Studying Roman Decline. (are We Rome? Asked One Of The More Egregious Examples -- Exemplifying The Old Adage That If A Title Is A Question It's Because The Answer Is No.) It's A Perception That Runs To The Very Highest Levels Of Government. Adrian Goldsworthy's New <em>how Rome Fell: Death Of A Superpower </em>had Its Origin In His Being Invited To Lecture U.s. Policymakers At A Two-day Conference Devoted To The Historical Strategies And Decline Of Great Powers. Goldsworthy Was Intrigued By The Parallels Encouraged At The Conference, And His Publishers Saw An Opening For The Historian To Figure In The Wider Debate On America In The 21st Century. </p>

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. -- Publisher Description. The Big Question -- Crisis? : The Third Century. The Kingdom Of Gold ; The Secret Of Empire ; Imperial Women ; King Of Kings ; Barbarians ; The Queen And The Necessary Emperor ; Crisis -- Recovery? : The Fourth Century. The Four : Diocletian And The Tetrarchy ; The Christian ; Rivals ; Enemies ; The Pagan ; Goths ; East And West -- Fall? : The Fifth And Sixth Centuries. Barbarians And Romans : Generals And Rebels ; The Sister And The Eternal City ; The Hun ; Sunset On An Outpost Of Empire ; Emperors, Kings, And Warlords ; West And East ; Rise And Fall -- A Simple Answer -- An Even Simpler Moral. Adrian Goldsworthy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 449-509) And Index.

A major new history of the fall of the Roman Empire, by the prizewinning author of Caesar
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. In his account of the fall of the Roman Empire, prizewinning author Adrian Goldsworthy examines the painful centuries of the superpowers decline. Bringing history to life through the stories of the men, women, heroes, and villains involved, the author uncovers surprising lessons about the rise and fall of great nations.
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. 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.

From the publisher: 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.Formatting issue: Endnote numbers are not linked to endnote text.

Examines the decline of the Roman Empire, from the second to the sixth century, and how internal conflicts and the personal ambitions of its rulers brought about its eventual downfall.

2019-09-25