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  • Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age

  • By: Tom Holland
  • Narrated by: Tom Holland
  • Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (194 ratings)
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Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age

By: Tom Holland
Narrated by: Tom Holland
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Summary

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.

©2023 Tom Holland (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

A sweeping, colourful history of Rome at its swaggering, superpower zenith by The Rest is History podcaster and bestselling author. Hail Caesar! Hail Tom Holland! (Robbie Millen)

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Brilliantly entertaining and fascinating

A real treat - Tom Holland bringing to life his own writing. Subtle, entertaining and memorable.

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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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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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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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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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Griping

For anybody wanting to learn about Roman emperors and their relationship with peace, the politicians and the wider public.

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great stuff

really interesting learnt loads
told in a very interesting way with some comedy.
definitely recommend it.

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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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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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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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