Pax Romana

War, Peace, and Conquest in the Roman World

By: Adrian Goldsworthy

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Best-selling author Adrian Goldsworthy turns his attention to the Pax Romana, the famous peace and prosperity brought by the Roman Empire at its height in the first and second centuries AD. Yet the Romans were conquerors, imperialists who took by force a vast empire stretching from the Euphrates to the Atlantic coast. Ruthless, Romans won peace not through coexistence but through dominance; millions died and were enslaved during the creation of their empire.

Pax Romana examines how the Romans came to control so much of the world and asks whether traditionally favorable images of the Roman peace are true. Goldsworthy vividly recounts the rebellions of the conquered and examines why they broke out, why most failed, and how they became exceedingly rare. He reveals that hostility was just one reaction to the arrival of Rome and that from the outset, conquered peoples collaborated, formed alliances, and joined invaders, causing resistance movements to fade away.

©2016 Adrian Goldsworthy (P)2016 Tantor

Superb analysis of Roman "peace"

The author is wonderfully informative of the details of Roman history. His conclusion is equally well balanced and judicious. I already heard it twice and will listen and learn from it again.

Good read

Learn about the pax Ramona era was something I needed to learn. It was awesome. The story, the characters.

Great Book

If you like the story of the Roman late Republic to high Empire, this is a fantastic book. Goldsworthy goes into sufficient detail of certain subjects without getting lost in the minutiae. And as always, Derek Perkins is phenomenal.

Adrian Goldsworthy crushes it again

Excellent book but the narration can be a bit dull at times. Derek Perkins is a good narrator but could stand to liven things up a bit

Rome is Rome.

Love a good history about the Romans.
This one was more sweeping than the last I read but still, excellent.