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Review
"Goldsworthy . . . claims the empire''s fatal move was to make the centre of authority—Rome and its experienced senatorial government—irrelevant. . . . Goldsworthy''s expertise guarantees his clearly and powerfully articulated thesis will open up the debate all over again."—Peter Jones, Telegraph
(Peter Jones Telegraph 20090615)
(California Literary Review )
(Peter Jones Telegraph 20090615)
"On a more profound level, Goldsworthy has depicted the grim process by which the Res Publica, the common good of the Roman many, was sacrificed for the self-preservation of the Imperial few, leading in due course to the destruction of all."—California Literary Review
“How Rome Fell is an interesting and compelling analysis. It is definitely worth the price to obtain and the time to digest, even if you are not a student of classical history.”--Brandon Crocker, The American Spectator
(Brandon Crocker The American Spectator ) “A very important book for anyone interested in Roman history.”--The NYMAS Review
(The NYMAS Review ) “[A] masterful survey.”--The New Criterion
(The New Criterion ) “Goldsworthy gives a vivid account. . . . [he] tells us clearly and well--and without attempts at literary majesty--about the series of events that brought Rome’s western empire to a state of collapse.”--Wall Street Journal
(Wall Street Journal ) “. . . weaves a compelling narrative that has enough new research to keep even well seasoned ‘Romanphiles’ satisfied.”--Washington Times
(Washington Times )"Goldsworthy is not the first historian to note the self-destructiveness of Roman imperial and military institutions. He has, however, provided one of the most penetrating and well-written analyses of how this dysfunction led to the fall of the Roman Empire."—Daniel P. Murphy, Magill''s Literary Annual 2010
(Daniel P. Murphy Magill's Literary Annual 2010 )
Product Description
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.
How Rome Fell is a brilliant successor to Goldsworthy's "monumental" (The Atlantic) Caesar. (20090607)
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved it!,
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This review is from: How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower (Hardcover)
Although I've probably read better works on later empire, this was the one that got into the topic. Again Goldsworthy goes in depth on a topic and is able to bring it out to the reader in a way that is great even for beginners in the field.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Goldsworthy Cracks Another One Out Of The Park,
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This review is from: How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower (Hardcover)
Anyone that has an interest in the Roman Empire, has to add Adrian Goldsworthy to their reading list. How Rome Fell, attempts to tackle the question of why the Roman Empire rotted itself into ruin.Goldsworthy believes the number one problem in the later Roman Empire, was almost constant civil war. The Romans were too strong to be defeated by an outside enemy. It was only the Romans themselves, that could bring down the Empire. This also happened over a long period of time, and was a very gradual process. The Romans eventually became so weak, that they could no longer dominate rival tribes. There were a few areas of the book I found very insightful. 1) The Emperor Constantine has always been identified with the early development of the Catholic Church. Goldsworthy makes it very clear that other Christian religions, continued to exist after Constantine`s attempt at forming a single church. People that teach Christian religion, never mention this fact. Constantine did make several reforms, such as restoring the monetary gold standard, which Goldsworthy does not mention. This set the stage for the success of the Eastern Empire. 2)I found the details about Alaric to be very surprising. Alaric sacked Rome, which is often sited as the end of the Roman Empire. I had no idea that Alaric was so involved in both the Western and Eastern Roman Empire, before he sacked Rome. 3)This is a general point concerning Goldsworthy. I was very impressed, that Goldsworthy was not afraid to be honest. Throughout the book, Goldsworthy will admit to gray areas. He will simply state there is not enough evidence to support a factual conclusion. I found this very refreshing. There are times, when we just do not know the answer. Yet, we so often have to have things presented in a black and white format. I highly recommend this book, to anyone that has an interest in the Roman era.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Diasappointing,
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This review is from: How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower (Hardcover)
I would have found Adrian Goldsworthy's "How Rome Fall" to be a good general overview of Late Roman history if it did not contain these tiresome and disturbing flaws:1. Many points are unnecessarily repeated even within the space of several pages. 2. The author tells us, ad nauseam, what cannot be known because of the lack of data or ancient sources. This general observation could have been made once in the preface, much as one finds such qualifying statements in the introductions of the translations of ancient historians. 3. There are errors in the text, including ones of grammar and syntax. I wanted information about Rome in the post-Claudian period after having read Livy, Appian, Caesar, Tacitus and Suetonius. I hoped this book would do the trick. Indeed, the basic information and theories about Late Roman history can be found in "How Rome Fell" but its writing/editing problems made the book boring and irritating to read.
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