• Evil Roman Emperors

  • The Shocking History of Ancient Rome's Most Wicked Rulers from Caligula to Nero and More
  • By: Phillip Barlag
  • Narrated by: David de Vries
  • Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (85 ratings)

Prime member exclusive:
pick 2 free titles with trial.
Pick 1 title (2 titles for Prime members) from our collection of bestsellers and new releases.
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
Your Premium Plus plan will continue for $14.95 a month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.
Evil Roman Emperors  By  cover art

Evil Roman Emperors

By: Phillip Barlag
Narrated by: David de Vries
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.21

Buy for $15.21

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Nero fiddled while Rome burned. As catchy as that aphorism is, it's sadly untrue, even if it has a nice ring to it. The one thing Nero is well-known for is the one thing he actually didn't do. But fear not, the truth of his life, his rule and what he did with unrestrained power, is plenty weird, salacious and horrifying.

And he is not alone. Roman history, from the very foundation of the city, is replete with people and stories that shock our modern sensibilities. Evil Roman Emperors puts the worst of Rome's rulers in one place and offers a review of their lives and a historical context for what made them into what they became.

Lucius Tarquinius Suburbus called peace conferences with warring states, only to slaughter foreign leaders; Commodus sold offices of the empire to the highest bidder; Caligula demanded to be worshipped as a god; even the Roman Senate itself was made up of oppressors, exploiters, and murderers of all stripes.

Roman history, deviant or otherwise, is a subject of endless fascination. What's never been done before is to look at the worst of the worst at the same time, comparing them side by side, and ranking them against one another. Until now.

©2021 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. (P)2021 Tantor

What listeners say about Evil Roman Emperors

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    49
  • 4 Stars
    22
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    52
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brisket and nu potato

Narrative was good. Interesting subjects I would recommend this book. great insight into history of Rome.

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting and fascinating!!!

Thought I knew a good deal about most of these emperors, but I truly had no idea. Barlag brings these historical rulers to life in a way I’ve never heard before. A great summertime read and educational adventure. Love the audible version while driving on my family vacation… hoping for everyone in the car to learn something new!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Revel the Devils!

Fascinating and engaging history of brutality. The ONLY knock on it is the snark. I have a feeling it was put there to offset some of the heavy-handedness, but I prefer a more stark approach when it comes to stories of Roman cruelty. The jibes aren't constant, but the narrator has WAY too cheerful of a tone for such subject matter. Don't get me wrong, it's not a constant stream of one-liners and I easily got past it. And it really doesn't detract from the stories themselves.

Overall, a most informative listen and in spite of the wit, it begs a second helping.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This book made me love history.

A fascinating and well-written look back at Roman society. I’ve never liked studying history, but this book made it fun, injecting just the right amount of humor.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Childish writing

Skip it unless you absolutely love everything about Roman history. Too informal and casual for the subject matter in my opinion.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A comic roast of Rome's worst

The book is a farcical takedown of the most vile leaders of ancient Rome.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fun read!

Normally I’m more of an academic type, but this was a fun book! I would read it again :)

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

History detailed in a modern (and interesting) way

Great book that details horrendous acts of Roman rulers with historical context that make it a compelling read/listen. With a dizzying (in a good way) array or murder and mayhem you are amazed at just how horrible these leaders were.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining!

They really were evil. The shock is tempered by the humor. Excellent on entertaining the reader/listener. I love history, but non-history fans would enjoy this telling. Very amusing turns of phrase. One emperor saw any person that interested him he "nailed it." As an example. The author really made this book enjoyable and fun. Highly recommend!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not really worth listening to

Disorganized and poorly written. Repetitive and sometimes using the wrong word. Empirical instead of imperial, for instance.