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

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

Brisket and nu potato

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

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!

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.

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.

Childish writing

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

A comic roast of Rome's worst

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

A fun read!

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

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.

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!

Not really worth listening to

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