A History of Rome, Volume 2

By: Cyril Robinson

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

With Caesar's assassination comes renewed civil war. The aristocratic senatorial faction is defeated and the Republican form of government is replaced by dictatorship. Caesar's adopted nephew, Augustus, comes to power as the first Roman Emperor and puts into place the most extraordinary experiment in imperial government ever attempted. In the process, he paves the way for a long period of peace, a golden age, the likes of which has never before been seen. The Empire is ruled by one dynasty after another - some good, some bad - until it reaches its apogee during the age of the brilliant Antonine emperors. But chaos follows with a series of corrupt rulers, and only the strong leadership of Diocletion 85 years later brings stability. Shortly afterward, Constantine's rule promotes the new faith of Christianity and makes it the official religion of the empire. But the downward spiral of decay cannot be reversed. Economic disruptions, plague and barbarian invasions prove too much for Rome, and the western half of the empire descends into a maelstrom of ignorance, dispair and random violence from which it will not emerge for many centuries.  

©2001 Audio Connoisseur

An Excellent Telling of Rome's History

I have always wanted to know more about Rome, than the simple 1 or 2 pages they usually put in the history books. This book and part 1 are extremely detailed in their coverage of Rome's History from beginning to end. And even for all the detail it was very engrossing.

The audio itself was very clear and easy to listen too. The narrator has a good voice and a compelling way of tell the History.

An excellent audiobook.

Read this History of Rome (Volumes 1 and 2) First

I was looking for a reasonably comprehensive history not just of the "decline and fall" of Rome, but of its rise as well. I was particularly interested in the final years of the republic, which occurred prior to the zenith of Roman power.

Volume 1 was exactly what I was looking for, but I couldn't stop there; I needed to get the rest of the story in Volume 2. In both books, I found the writing clear and the narration spirited. I found this survey to be just the right level of detail in order to permit the reader to see similarities with events of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Start with Volume 1, though, particularly if you live in the United States. The rise of the Roman republic and its surprisingly incremental transition into its imperial phase is a story that resonated in alarming ways for me.

A Very Interesting Listen

I loved this listen. The beginning is great and the ending is great and overall, I highly recommend this book. Just wish it was longer and went into the rest of the emperors.

Recommended; concise, well written, well-read

The narration and production quality were surprisingly high for an older (1930s I believe) history. Certainly recommended.

Part of your education

I started listening to this series as preparation to Gibbons' Decline and Fall. I have fallen in love with the comparatively rosy heyday of the Republic, before things started going haywire, that I think I will linger here for a bit longer. I prefer tome 1 of the series, the beginning of the Roman Empire/Republic/ City state, is just so incredible,

Favorite chapters in this and tome 1, are descriptions of the arts and literature of Rome, utterly fascinating, especially when examples are given. So lovely!!

Enjoyed every minute!

What made the experience of listening to A History of Rome, Volume 2 the most enjoyable?

With each hearing you'll discover other things you missed. Hence, each experience is fabulous.

What other book might you compare A History of Rome, Volume 2 to and why?

The Twelve Caesars.

Which character – as performed by Charlton Griffin – was your favorite?

Pleasant to hear.

A fast paced history

The narrator, as scholarly as he sounds, has to be the most monotonous narrator in the audiobook industry, no wonder they say, history is boring. That said, the book is very fast paced, encompassing 800 years of history in 2 volume and 30+ chapters, but because of the pace, people who are normally important in classical studies become little more than mentioned for the sakes of pushing the events along. But that also made Robinson's work good introductory work for fresh classical students. However Robinson expressed some appallingly misogynist and racist opinions that were thinly substantiated, for example, there was no real reason to suppose the influence of liberated women in roman court was bad, or that the African emperors were necessarily worse than the native ones outside the social-economic constraint. The author should have been more careful.