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Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
- Narrated by: Tom Holland
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
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Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
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Summary
'Holland, who co-hosts the podcast The Rest Is History, is at his best when having fun with Rome's bloody history' The Times
'A book for lovers of traditional, grand sweep narrative history' Sunday Times
The definitive history of Rome's golden age - antiquity's ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatness
The Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen.
Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empire in all its predatory glory. Vivid scene follows vivid scene: the destruction of Jerusalem and Pompeii, the building of the Colosseum and Hadrian's Wall, the conquests of Trajan. Vividly sketching the lives of Romans both ordinary and spectacular, from slaves to emperors, Holland demonstrates how Roman peace was the fruit of unprecedented military violence.
A stunning portrait of Rome's glory days, this is the epic history of the pax Romana.
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What listeners say about Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
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- C Hall
- 26-08-23
Brilliantly entertaining and fascinating
A real treat - Tom Holland bringing to life his own writing. Subtle, entertaining and memorable.
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- Lindsey Webb
- 15-04-24
Tom Holland is always great
well read, passionate, but not over the top. Tom Holland always makes his history books fun and relatable. He is also a great reader. Highly recommend! Check out his podcast The Rest Is History if you like this.
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- ProfessionalLayman
- 27-03-24
Rome with all its moral ambiguities brought to life
Superb retelling of the demise of Nero, the year of the four emperors and the Flavian dynasty. I'm familiar with Christian history and it's excellent to hear the Roman history described, knowing that the early Church was interacting with and in this morally ambiguous and cruel empire. Fascinating stuff. Brilliant treatment of the fall of Jerusalem and how it propped up the Emperor via propaganda. I enjoyed this having previously read Domininon, and it was well worth it.
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- Anonymous User
- 14-05-24
Hardly put this down
If you wish to learn about ancient empires and rulers I would use mr Hollands books every time
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- K Sargent
- 12-08-23
Enjoyable, very interesting listen
The book has a great blend of overall themes, and personal stories of characters - great and less well known - from the period. It also has intriguing details about what is known about Roman life during this period. Good narration by Tom himself; very comforting to hear his familiar voice as I listen to The Rest is History regularly. I particularly enjoyed the section on Pompeii and it prompted me to re-read Robert Harris’s great thriller ‘Pompeii’ afterwards. Learnt lots about the period and thoroughly enjoyed it!
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1 person found this helpful
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- lucylocket
- 31-07-23
Assessable history
Loved it for its portrayal of a history in an entertaining format. A reading by an author is always a treat.
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- Samuel Davidson
- 12-07-23
i devoured this
but i wanted it to continue on and do Gibbon in exquisite detail, and not just stop with (spoilers) Hadrian’s death
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- Reuben
- 31-08-23
Another brilliant addition to the Holland roster
Perfect third installation in this series. Fully recommended whether you are an existing Roman history enthusiast or a newbie.
Narrated by Holland himself in contrast to the previous books, which is brilliant for those already familiar with him from his podcast.
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- Solfreak
- 14-12-23
Gripping tale of Rome’s golden age
Tom Holland never fails to paint a vivid picture of far distant historical times. His books always manage to bring antiquity to life.
Wonderful, broad overview. Makes me want to dig deeper into the subject.
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-04-24
Entertaining and well put together
It won’t go into too much detail and the sources are rarely mentioned, but this makes for a more immersive experience. Would I believe every word of it? No. Was it interesting? Yes
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