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Pax Romana: War, Peace, and Conquest in the Roman World Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Adrian Goldsworthy (Author), Derek Perkins (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 961 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
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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.

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  1. Listening Length
    15 hours and 33 minutes
  2. Author
    Adrian Goldsworthy
  3. Narrator
    Derek Perkins
  4. Audible release date
    August 23, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Tantor Audio
  7. ASIN
    B01KMXAEMI
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 15 hours and 33 minutes
Author Adrian Goldsworthy
Narrator Derek Perkins
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date August 23, 2016
Publisher Tantor Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01KMXAEMI
Best Sellers Rank #195,113 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#217 in Ancient & Classical Roman History
#1,687 in Ancient Roman History (Books)
#2,018 in European History (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
961 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They appreciate the well-researched content and daily life details from the Roman military. The writing style is clear and concise, making it easy to understand. However, some readers feel the book can be repetitive at times.

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ReadabilityInformation qualityEncyclopedia contentWriting qualityBoredom
43 customers mention "Readability"43 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it provides a good background for medieval history. The first disk is terrific, and the author does a wonderful job with this book.

"...All in all, a really fine work. If you want to understand the nature of Pax Romana, this is a very fine resource." Read more

"...Still 100% worth reading!" Read more

"Good book. I wish there were more breaks / synopsis in the sections...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book...." Read more

36 customers mention "Information quality"30 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the book's informative and engaging content. They find it well-researched, with interesting details on Roman forts, troops, daily life, and imperial administration. The book provides a comprehensive view of the Roman Republic and Empire, providing a welcome perspective.

"...The works are exemplary and give us much detail and reflections on the outcomes of rule by both...." Read more

"...This provides the reader with a bigger picture of what the Roman Republic and Empire were like for those who lived during that period of time...." Read more

"Informative but not as exciting as Caesar or the emporers, or Punic Wars. But it gives a sense of day to day life of the empire." Read more

"...Goldsworthy does a wonderful job with this book. His research is sound, and he makes masterful use of both primary and secondary sources...." Read more

32 customers mention "Encyclopedia content"32 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content comprehensive and interesting. They appreciate its thorough study of the Roman Empire, military history, and Pax Romana period. The book provides a complete portrait of the Roman Republic and Principate, with a thematic analysis of how the empire worked. Readers appreciate the different approach to history presented in the book.

"...Overall, though it's a very good summary of Roman times that provides the reader with plenty of sources about the subject matter...." Read more

"This book takes a different approach to history. The author, Adrian Goldsworthy creates a day to day telling of the story of the Empire...." Read more

"I found this book to be an excellent intro to the Roman Empire...." Read more

"This is a fascinating bit of history and generally well written, but the author chose to organize the material by topic rather than chronologically...." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing quality"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the clear and concise writing style that explains PAX Romana in an understandable format.

"This book is well written and filled with fascinating information I’d never heard about the Roman Empire...." Read more

"This is a fascinating bit of history and generally well written, but the author chose to organize the material by topic rather than chronologically...." Read more

"This is a well written book about all aspects of life in the Roman Republic and later Roman Empire...." Read more

"Well written, easy to read very broad stroke history. The author tries to make the case that Roman created or promoted peace in it's territories...." Read more

6 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive6 negative

Customers find the book tedious and repetitive. They mention it's boring at times and doesn't cover everything they want.

"...Excellent coverage of anti-Roman revolts. The book is tedious at times, hence 4 stars, also it does not really cover the later stage of the Roman..." Read more

"The author gets his points across but in a very boring manner." Read more

"...It is so boring." Read more

"Rambles into too many details. Too boring to finish." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Steven Peterson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pax Romana and its dynamics
    Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The book concludes with a few reflections on the "pax Romana," Roman peace as it existed over centuries. The author, Goldsworthy, says that "it took the domination of an empire like Rome to establish peace over such a wide area." He follows up: ". . .this was a remarkable acdhievement and one deserving admiration, whether or not it balances distaste for the savagery of Roman conquest."

    Goldsworthy has written other magisterial works. I have read two of those--biographies of Julius Caesar and Augustus. The works are exemplary and give us much detail and reflections on the outcomes of rule by both. This, too, is not just a rendering of what happened and when. There is that, but more as well. Goldsworthy steps back from time to time and reflects on the Pax Romana.

    Some of the more interesting findings:

    a. The Empire would leave a fair amount of administration of a newly conquered area to local rulers--if they were willing to submit to Rome and perform in accordance with the Empire's dictates and interest. It is interesting to see how many conquered peoples were willing to accept this state of affairs.

    b. The Empire cut also decide to "cut and run" if the cost-benefit calculus was not attractive. For instance, withdrawing from some Germanic lands, because of the difficulty of subduing these people.

    c. A willingness to be savage of an opponent resisted and the Romans had the strength to overcome them.

    d. Many of the subject nations were willing to work within the Roman parameters, because they received benefits, such a better communication and economic health.

    e. The surprsingly thin administrative resources of Rome. Governors were sent from Rome to exercise authority in the varios parts of the Empire. But they did not have much Roman bureaucratic infrastructure.

    Goldsworthy can also assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Pax Romana. All in all, a really fine work. If you want to understand the nature of Pax Romana, this is a very fine resource.
    45 people found this helpful
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  • Scott
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Information & Author, Strange Format
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is well written and filled with fascinating information I’d never heard about the Roman Empire. My only complaint is the author broke the book up into subjects rather than chronological. I know some readers prefer it that way, I found it sometimes difficult to keep facts straight with the historical jumping around. Still 100% worth reading!
    One person found this helpful
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  • M. Banuelos
    5.0 out of 5 stars 4 and 1/2 Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Good book. I wish there were more breaks / synopsis in the sections. Some sections were very long and you forgot the point that was being presented by the time you reached the end.

    However, inwant an overalll view of the Roman ways over the centuries and i came away satisfied. I may skim read this again to solidify some of the information in my head better.
    One person found this helpful
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  • RMG
    5.0 out of 5 stars NOW YOU'LL KNOW WHY EMPIRES DON'T WORK.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2024
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    This will explain the roots of military, social, governmental, economic, diplomatic and other institutions that are essential to modern nations.
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  • kahemingway
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Summary and Defense of Rome
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The Roman period of history is one of those subjects where there are so many books written on the subject that it can be a bit difficult to figure out where to start. After seeing this book recommended in a military magazine, I decided that I would try this book. Having merely glossed over the subject of Rome in history class, I had always wanted to know more about this predecessor to modern Western civilization.

    The book starts off with an introduction by the author explaining that modern historians often focus only on the colonial aspect of Rome and tend to paint Rome as nothing more than a brutal, horrific oppressor of its citizens. This is done with limited evidence and large amount of the book is spent on debunking these assertions with examples and documentation. The story of Rome itself is divided into two sections; one for the Republic and the other for the Empire. Since this is more of a summary, the reader is given the events and people of the time without being bogged down too much with the details. After the timeline is established at the beginning of each section, the author uses subsequent chapters to flesh out the various duties of the Romans, along with fleshing out the ethnic groups and their life under Roman Rule. This provides the reader with a bigger picture of what the Roman Republic and Empire were like for those who lived during that period of time.

    I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit and the narrative is easy to follow. Learning about the lives of the Romans and how they remained the dominant power in the area for about five hundred years is fascinating. It also provides some lessons that can be applied to our own time. The only drawback of this book is that a lot of time is spent debunking the modern historical narrative that has developed around Rome. At first, I was appreciative of this effort, and I understand why it has to be addressed. However, it did get a bit tiresome by the end of the book to have to be pulled back into modernity to address one more fallacious argument driven by the narrative. That the author felt the need to do this is a sign of the times we live in, I suppose.

    Overall, though it's a very good summary of Roman times that provides the reader with plenty of sources about the subject matter. If you'd like to get started on learning about Rome, then this is a good place to begin.
    36 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Dull
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Too mired in the details with only brief discussion of the Roman leaders, their lifestyles and the lifestyles of every day Romans and their subjects. I glazed over at the detail of armor swords and other implements.
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  • Cliente de Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro y altamente recomendable para todos los amantes de la historia romana
    Reviewed in Mexico on May 2, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Muy bien escrito y muy bien explicado en todos los sentidos históricos de la roma republica y porteriormente el imperio.
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  • pierrot
    5.0 out of 5 stars Les bienfaits de la paix.
    Reviewed in France on November 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Rome conquérante, Rome prédatrice, Rome destructrice... Et pourtant, finalement, Rome instauratrice de la paix universelle. C'est cet aspect de Rome que nous présente A. Goldsworthy dans un essai lumineux. Bravo!
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  • Dwight Hoyes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - Well worth the time.
    Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is an outstanding book. Not only is it well written but is also very approachable. Mr Goldsworthy takes on the ambitious task of covering Roman history from the early days to the collapse. It seems initially that he will cover most of the ground that many others have covered, some of them very well (see Mary Beard's excellent SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome) which he does but then veers off to cover areas not usually written about such as the economy and policies of Rome and their conquered territories, structure of the Legions and the auxiliaries who fought for them. He argues that while the hand of Rome could be heavy and at times very brutal it was no better or worse than any other extant power and was to the advantage of these territories because they accrued very real advantages for themselves. To prove this point he covers a number of conquered places that became provinces to show that the Roman Peace was real.
    Even if you have read a lot about Rome (the Republic and Imperial) you'll find something (if not a number) discussions in this book that are new or only given cursory coverage in other books.
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  • StarSoldier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pax Romana
    Reviewed in Italy on January 8, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Libro interessante che affronta il tema della Pax Romana e che anzi si chiede se sia realmente esistita. Sfata tantissimi cliché Hollywoodiani che non fanno altro che mostrare l'impero romano come solamente sanguinario e guidato da despoti o folli.
    Un libro questo che con equilibrio e obiettività ci ricorda che calarsi nell'epoca che si tenta di comprendere aiuta a non saltare a conclusioni frettolose e macchiate dal politically correct per fare improbabili paragoni dell'impero romano con l'era contemporanea.
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  • Jack Evatt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another success from one of my favourite Authors. Pax Romana delves into a world not ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Another success from one of my favourite Authors. Pax Romana delves into a world not just inhabited by Romans but one filled with various different cultures and peoples all fighting for power/glory/wealth and in some cases simply just for freedom from Rome. He shows that the Romans were not the only aggressive state/peoples in the ancient world but that they were by far the most successful of them. There are many reasons why they were more successful than other states/cultures and Adrian Goldsworthy looks and comments on these reasons with care, respect and a professionalism to not judge the Roman culture by 21st century standards (something the majority of us do when looking back through their history) It certainly appears that the PAX ROMANA did exist across the empire and existed for a long time in various places. He points out that some regions, once they had been defeated and turned into provinces or client states, experienced decades upon decades of uninterupted peace. Now, this in itself proves the PAX ROMANA did exist, although it can be argued that various regions could or would have experienced long periods of peace if they had not been invaded and defeated by the Romans in the first place.
    Whatever your view on this (there will certainly be many) Adrian Goldsworthy succeeds yet again as he makes you form your own conclusions of the period. If you are a great lover of Roman history or have just started to explore the subject, PAX ROMANA has something for you. i fully recommend this book. A great read!
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