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History of Rome #3
Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
Pax is the third in a trilogy of books narrating the history of the Roman Empire. The series that began with Rubicon, and continued with Dynasty, now arrives at the period which marks the apogée of the pax Romana. It provides a portrait of the ancient world's ultimate superpower at war and at peace; from the gilded capital to the barbarous realms beyond the frontier; from emperors to slaves. The narrative features many of the most celebrated episodes in Roman history: the destruction of Jerusalem and Pompeii; the building of the Colosseum and Hadrian's Wall; the conquests of Trajan and the spread of Christianity. Pax gives a portrait of Rome, the great white shark of the ancient world, the Siberian tiger, at the very pinnacle of her greatness.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2023
About the author
Tom Holland
87 books2,628 followersTom Holland is an English historian and author. He has written many books, both fiction and non-fiction, on many subjects from vampires to history.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before interrupting the post graduate studies and moving to London.
He has adapted Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio 4. His novels, including Attis and Deliver Us From Evil, mostly have a supernatural and horror element as well as being set in the past. He is also the author of three highly praised works of history, Rubicon, Persian Fire and Millennium.
He is on the committee of the Society of Authors and the Classical Association.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. He obtained a double first in English and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge, and afterwards studied shortly for a PhD at Oxford, taking Lord Byron as his subject, before interrupting the post graduate studies and moving to London.
He has adapted Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides and Virgil for BBC Radio 4. His novels, including Attis and Deliver Us From Evil, mostly have a supernatural and horror element as well as being set in the past. He is also the author of three highly praised works of history, Rubicon, Persian Fire and Millennium.
He is on the committee of the Society of Authors and the Classical Association.
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November 5, 2023Why yes, I do think about the Roman Empire all the time. Of course, I write books about Greek and Roman mythology, so I like to think I have a good reason, but if you are a fellow Roman history buff, you can't do much better than Tom Holland for accessible, entertaining nonfiction. This is Holland's third book in a series about Rome's imperial age. It picks up at the death of Nero and covers the age of the Flavian emperors: including such A-listers as Trajan and Hadrian. Holland brings the era to life with all its colorful characters, its interpersonal drama and its massive global stakes.
We see the Roman Empire at its zenith, but Holland makes it clear that at the time, no one knew that. It seemed very likely to the Romans at the time, year after year, that the entire empire was crumbling. Each Caesar might be the last. The upper-crust Romans grumbled that traditional values were being eroded. As they saw it, foreigners were ruining their culture, infiltrating their society, polluting the core of Roman identity. Rome, having taken over much of the known world, was a victim or its own success, because now the world was taking over Rome. When Trajan died, after a series of stunning conquests that took him from Britain to Dacia to the edge of the Persian Gulf, his heir Hadrian made a dramatic strategic policy shift, gave up some of those indefensible conquests, and began to "build that wall" around the empire to protect its borders. For an empire that defined itself by conquest, this was a huge mental shift.
Another particularly relevant section of PAX is its coverage of the Judaean revolts, and the vicious retribution of Titus, who, following a brutal wave of anti-Roman slaughter by the oppressed Judaeans, finally razed the Judaeans' temple and wiped Jerusalem off the map in 70 C.E., replacing it with a new Roman city -- an act of imperialist brute force that still has ramifications today. The Romans, like later imperial colonial powers, were masters at turning local populations against one another, to divide and conquer, as Vespasian and Titus did, using legions in Judaea that were drawn largely from the Samaritans, bitter enemies of the Judaeans. The emperors got their victory, but the lesson, to me, is be careful what you wish for. Rome answered force with even greater force, hoping to erase Judaea from existence. Two millennia later, we are still dealing with the fallout, and seeing the same force-against-force dynamic at play in the same region with no resolution in sight. Thanks a lot, Rome.
Holland's books are about as close to time travel as the modern reader can get. They always make me think, and make him appreciate both how different the world is now, and sadly, how very similar.
We see the Roman Empire at its zenith, but Holland makes it clear that at the time, no one knew that. It seemed very likely to the Romans at the time, year after year, that the entire empire was crumbling. Each Caesar might be the last. The upper-crust Romans grumbled that traditional values were being eroded. As they saw it, foreigners were ruining their culture, infiltrating their society, polluting the core of Roman identity. Rome, having taken over much of the known world, was a victim or its own success, because now the world was taking over Rome. When Trajan died, after a series of stunning conquests that took him from Britain to Dacia to the edge of the Persian Gulf, his heir Hadrian made a dramatic strategic policy shift, gave up some of those indefensible conquests, and began to "build that wall" around the empire to protect its borders. For an empire that defined itself by conquest, this was a huge mental shift.
Another particularly relevant section of PAX is its coverage of the Judaean revolts, and the vicious retribution of Titus, who, following a brutal wave of anti-Roman slaughter by the oppressed Judaeans, finally razed the Judaeans' temple and wiped Jerusalem off the map in 70 C.E., replacing it with a new Roman city -- an act of imperialist brute force that still has ramifications today. The Romans, like later imperial colonial powers, were masters at turning local populations against one another, to divide and conquer, as Vespasian and Titus did, using legions in Judaea that were drawn largely from the Samaritans, bitter enemies of the Judaeans. The emperors got their victory, but the lesson, to me, is be careful what you wish for. Rome answered force with even greater force, hoping to erase Judaea from existence. Two millennia later, we are still dealing with the fallout, and seeing the same force-against-force dynamic at play in the same region with no resolution in sight. Thanks a lot, Rome.
Holland's books are about as close to time travel as the modern reader can get. They always make me think, and make him appreciate both how different the world is now, and sadly, how very similar.
June 7, 2023
This is an account of the history of Rome at the height of the empire's expansion and prosperity, the period known as the Pax Romana, from the Year of the Four Emperors to the last of the Five Good Emperors, when flourishing Rome had the entirety of the Mediterranean as its territory and would either hold the peace of its lands or crush rebellions rather swiftly and violently.
Holland's style is very dense but still accessible enough because he seems to write for the general public. Those more knowledgeable about the history of Rome, or Classical Antiquity in general, won't find this either groundbreaking or especially engrossing. It's pretty much a history book for the lay reader. In it, you'll read everything from the top down, from the Caesar to the soldier, since Nero until Trajan, from Dacia to Jerusalem. Compact, readable (if you like Holland's style), and broad enough as to not miss the important aspects of Roman life, how they achieved this long peaceful period, and what it cost them to hold onto it.
If you have read the two previous books about Rome by Holland, this will feel like the completion of the trilogy, so I recommend to those interested to read the previous books too, preferably before this one, even though it can be read as a standalone.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Holland's style is very dense but still accessible enough because he seems to write for the general public. Those more knowledgeable about the history of Rome, or Classical Antiquity in general, won't find this either groundbreaking or especially engrossing. It's pretty much a history book for the lay reader. In it, you'll read everything from the top down, from the Caesar to the soldier, since Nero until Trajan, from Dacia to Jerusalem. Compact, readable (if you like Holland's style), and broad enough as to not miss the important aspects of Roman life, how they achieved this long peaceful period, and what it cost them to hold onto it.
If you have read the two previous books about Rome by Holland, this will feel like the completion of the trilogy, so I recommend to those interested to read the previous books too, preferably before this one, even though it can be read as a standalone.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 20, 2024
The latest instalment of Tom Holland’s narrative history of Ancient Rome (will he write more, I wonder?) takes us from the death of Nero to the death of Hadrian, a period often regarded as the zenith of the Roman Empire. As with the other books in the series, he concentrates on the personalities and effectiveness of each emperor. I listened to the audio version.
I was surprised at how much of the book was taken up with “The Year of the Four Emperors”, the chaotic period after the death of Nero, when there was no clear successor and when rebellions and civil wars made ordinary Romans wonder whether the Empire was about to collapse. It’s about a third of the way through the book before we move onto Vespasian, who ruled from 69-79. He gets one of the most favourable portrayals in this book, with the comment that he may have been one of the very few men whose personality improved after gaining absolute power.
The title of this book is “Pax”, and broadly speaking it covers a period where the Empire was no longer in expansionist mode. An exception was the rule of Trajan. His conquest of Dacia was the first major expansion of the Empire since the addition of Britannia, and there seems to have been a feeling at the time that Trajan had given the Romans back their mojo. At the end of his reign he embarked on a major campaign against the Parthian Empire, conquering Armenia and Mesopotamia, and even the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon. In the end though, Trajan had over-committed the Empire’s resources. He had called up most of the army for the campaign and whilst the cat was away the mice did play, with numerous revolts breaking out. It was left to Hadrian to restore order, which he did with a ruthlessness striking even by Roman standards. Hadrian’s rule was a time of retrenchment. Mesopotamia and Armenia were given up, the famous wall was built across Britain, and a mud wall was built to mark the limits of Rome’s African provinces, setting them apart from the endless desert to the south. The Empire had reached its limits.
In terms of events, the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 is described vividly, and there were detailed descriptions of the attempted conquest of Caledonia, as well as the First Jewish-Roman War of 66-73. Arguably these events get disproportionate coverage in the book.
I wouldn’t say that I gained lots of new insights from this, but I knew less about this period of Roman history than those covered in the earlier books, so it has filled in some gaps in my knowledge. As always with this author, the book is entertainingly written and accessible to the layman.
I was surprised at how much of the book was taken up with “The Year of the Four Emperors”, the chaotic period after the death of Nero, when there was no clear successor and when rebellions and civil wars made ordinary Romans wonder whether the Empire was about to collapse. It’s about a third of the way through the book before we move onto Vespasian, who ruled from 69-79. He gets one of the most favourable portrayals in this book, with the comment that he may have been one of the very few men whose personality improved after gaining absolute power.
The title of this book is “Pax”, and broadly speaking it covers a period where the Empire was no longer in expansionist mode. An exception was the rule of Trajan. His conquest of Dacia was the first major expansion of the Empire since the addition of Britannia, and there seems to have been a feeling at the time that Trajan had given the Romans back their mojo. At the end of his reign he embarked on a major campaign against the Parthian Empire, conquering Armenia and Mesopotamia, and even the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon. In the end though, Trajan had over-committed the Empire’s resources. He had called up most of the army for the campaign and whilst the cat was away the mice did play, with numerous revolts breaking out. It was left to Hadrian to restore order, which he did with a ruthlessness striking even by Roman standards. Hadrian’s rule was a time of retrenchment. Mesopotamia and Armenia were given up, the famous wall was built across Britain, and a mud wall was built to mark the limits of Rome’s African provinces, setting them apart from the endless desert to the south. The Empire had reached its limits.
In terms of events, the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 is described vividly, and there were detailed descriptions of the attempted conquest of Caledonia, as well as the First Jewish-Roman War of 66-73. Arguably these events get disproportionate coverage in the book.
I wouldn’t say that I gained lots of new insights from this, but I knew less about this period of Roman history than those covered in the earlier books, so it has filled in some gaps in my knowledge. As always with this author, the book is entertainingly written and accessible to the layman.
August 3, 2023
The study of history needs writers like Tom Holland. There is, unfortunately, a type of academic historian who looks askance at writers of popular, narrative history; seeing it as inferior to the technical analysis and synthesis of sources that occupies most professional experts in the field. There are, even more unfortunately, a few of these who are actively scornful and hostile toward those who write for a broader, non-specialist audience; partly because they are seen as dabblers who oversimplify or distort complex subjects and (I suspect) at least partly out of resentment at the popular writers' higher profiles and larger book sales. Some of this sniffy gate-keeping of the guild is certainly justified, as there is a lot of by-the-numbers, formulaic, misleading and badly written pop history out there. But Holland has the right combination of understanding of the source material, grasp of the scholarship, an engaging and elegant writing style and just enough of a dash of sensation and fun.
The latter has been honed, in no small part, by Holland's popular podcast "The Rest is History", which he presents with his modern history specialist co-host Dominic Sandbrook. Listeners to Holland the podcaster will be familiar with some of the content of Pax: Nero and his unfortunate concubine Sporus, Hadrian's Wall, Pompeii etc. But Pax is Holland in his more serious mode, so these stories are told without the podcast's banter, though with some hints at its in-jokes. His previous works on Roman history, which with Pax form a trilogy, are the obvious background to this new work. But the book which sits behind Pax in many respects is Holland's last work, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (2019). While the main focus of that book - the importance of Christianity in shaping later western ideas and attitudes - is not, in itself, relevant to Pax (Christianity is only mentioned briefly in a final chapter), the strangeness of the pre-Christian world of the Romans is made even more clear in this new work.
So Holland does his best to help us understand a world that is, in many respects, alien to us. Slaves are an unquestioned fact of society. The enslaved and even non-citizens can be used sexually without consequences. Public displays of grotesque violence are normal and popular. Imperial might is expected to be imposed by brutal force. Holland explains these stranger and (to us) uglier aspects of the ancient world without trying to make them palatable or relatable to the modern reader. The weirdness is part of the point.
This also means that this is a not a bright and pretty, romantic or idealised version of the period of the Pax Romana. The fact that this pax was imposed and maintained by violence is made abundantly clear. Tacitus' wry observation, put in the mouth of a British chieftain, that the Romans "make a wilderness and call it peace" is the underlying theme of Holland's account. The book may be titled "Peace" but a lot of it details war and violence: the civil wars of 69 AD, the Jewish Wars, uprisings on the Rhine and in Caledonia and a hell of a lot of grisly executions.
The difficulty with writing popular narrative history of pre-modern times is our sources are fragmentary, scattered, biased and often unclear or contradictory. Specialists may have quibbles about the choices Holland is forced to make, but he's a judicious writer who picks his way through these problems with care. Most readers, however, will simply enjoy an elegantly written tour of the Roman world from Nero to Antoninus Pius, with side trips into the obscure and plenty of lively detail. The popularity of Indian pepper in second century Rome is detailed, along with the trade across the Indian Ocean from Roman ports on the Red Sea. But the vivid detail that the sacks of peppercorns were stamped with a tiger's head design is the kind of thing that makes this book a pleasure to read.
I read Pax as a palate cleanser between other, less easy and pleasurable fare: some of those dense academic historical monographs and a very stupid pseudo historical conspiracy theory. It was always a relief to turn from them to Tom Holland telling me a carefully researched and beautifully written story of a lost world. And this is why we need books like Pax.
The latter has been honed, in no small part, by Holland's popular podcast "The Rest is History", which he presents with his modern history specialist co-host Dominic Sandbrook. Listeners to Holland the podcaster will be familiar with some of the content of Pax: Nero and his unfortunate concubine Sporus, Hadrian's Wall, Pompeii etc. But Pax is Holland in his more serious mode, so these stories are told without the podcast's banter, though with some hints at its in-jokes. His previous works on Roman history, which with Pax form a trilogy, are the obvious background to this new work. But the book which sits behind Pax in many respects is Holland's last work, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (2019). While the main focus of that book - the importance of Christianity in shaping later western ideas and attitudes - is not, in itself, relevant to Pax (Christianity is only mentioned briefly in a final chapter), the strangeness of the pre-Christian world of the Romans is made even more clear in this new work.
So Holland does his best to help us understand a world that is, in many respects, alien to us. Slaves are an unquestioned fact of society. The enslaved and even non-citizens can be used sexually without consequences. Public displays of grotesque violence are normal and popular. Imperial might is expected to be imposed by brutal force. Holland explains these stranger and (to us) uglier aspects of the ancient world without trying to make them palatable or relatable to the modern reader. The weirdness is part of the point.
This also means that this is a not a bright and pretty, romantic or idealised version of the period of the Pax Romana. The fact that this pax was imposed and maintained by violence is made abundantly clear. Tacitus' wry observation, put in the mouth of a British chieftain, that the Romans "make a wilderness and call it peace" is the underlying theme of Holland's account. The book may be titled "Peace" but a lot of it details war and violence: the civil wars of 69 AD, the Jewish Wars, uprisings on the Rhine and in Caledonia and a hell of a lot of grisly executions.
The difficulty with writing popular narrative history of pre-modern times is our sources are fragmentary, scattered, biased and often unclear or contradictory. Specialists may have quibbles about the choices Holland is forced to make, but he's a judicious writer who picks his way through these problems with care. Most readers, however, will simply enjoy an elegantly written tour of the Roman world from Nero to Antoninus Pius, with side trips into the obscure and plenty of lively detail. The popularity of Indian pepper in second century Rome is detailed, along with the trade across the Indian Ocean from Roman ports on the Red Sea. But the vivid detail that the sacks of peppercorns were stamped with a tiger's head design is the kind of thing that makes this book a pleasure to read.
I read Pax as a palate cleanser between other, less easy and pleasurable fare: some of those dense academic historical monographs and a very stupid pseudo historical conspiracy theory. It was always a relief to turn from them to Tom Holland telling me a carefully researched and beautifully written story of a lost world. And this is why we need books like Pax.
January 15, 2024
Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age by Tom Holland covers the Pax Romana era of ancient Rome. This period commences from the reign of Augustus and ends at the death of Marcus Aurelius. So, we are talking about 27 BCE to 180 CE. This is considered the time the empire was at its greatest. Sure, there were wars and conflicts both within and without, but compared to the Republican period before, and the rest of the Imperial period after, Pax Romana was a time of relative tranquillity. The empire also covered the most territory at this time, during the reign of Trajan (the bloke I have an unhealthy fascination about), the Romans were – ‘large and in charge’, to be sure.
There were some notoriously bad emperors during this time – the likes of Caligula, Nero, and Domitian were strutting their stuff. There was also the incredible sh*tshow called, the year of the five emperors, following Nero’s death (Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian). However, on the other hand there was the period of the five good emperors – Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. For me, this is the true Golden Period. It is worth noting Pax Romana ended abruptly with the reign of Marcus Aurelius’ son – Commodus. He was certainly one of the worst.
Many significant events occurred, such as, the sack of Dacia, Jerusalem, Mt Vesuvius covering Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash, the conquest of those pesky Brits – so we see Hadrian’s wall. The stories relayed by Tom Holland (I listed to the audiobook) was riveting during the conquest of Jerusalem as was the account of Mt Vesuvius’ eruption..
However, I did find Holland’s delivery, overall, to be flat and a bit too academic for my liking. Maybe I am still under the seductive spell of Mary Beard? I listened to her audiobook Emperor of Rome a few months ago, an audiobook experience extraordinaire!!!! Unfortunately, Pax did not reach those heights. Pax also lacked a seamless narrative, I found it difficult to follow at times.
There is enough here to learn new material for those who love this topic (e.g. Pliny makes some memorable appearances), but for the newbie – I would suggest something a little more engaging.
3 Stars
There were some notoriously bad emperors during this time – the likes of Caligula, Nero, and Domitian were strutting their stuff. There was also the incredible sh*tshow called, the year of the five emperors, following Nero’s death (Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian). However, on the other hand there was the period of the five good emperors – Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. For me, this is the true Golden Period. It is worth noting Pax Romana ended abruptly with the reign of Marcus Aurelius’ son – Commodus. He was certainly one of the worst.
Many significant events occurred, such as, the sack of Dacia, Jerusalem, Mt Vesuvius covering Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash, the conquest of those pesky Brits – so we see Hadrian’s wall. The stories relayed by Tom Holland (I listed to the audiobook) was riveting during the conquest of Jerusalem as was the account of Mt Vesuvius’ eruption..
However, I did find Holland’s delivery, overall, to be flat and a bit too academic for my liking. Maybe I am still under the seductive spell of Mary Beard? I listened to her audiobook Emperor of Rome a few months ago, an audiobook experience extraordinaire!!!! Unfortunately, Pax did not reach those heights. Pax also lacked a seamless narrative, I found it difficult to follow at times.
There is enough here to learn new material for those who love this topic (e.g. Pliny makes some memorable appearances), but for the newbie – I would suggest something a little more engaging.
3 Stars
December 19, 2023
This is the third instalment of Holland's trilogy about the Roman Empire.
'Pax' starts where Caesar's Julio-Claudian dynasty ends with Nero's suicide in 69 AD and ends with the death of Hadrian, almost 70 years later.
It covers the chaotic Year of Four Emperors, the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, Domitian) and the zenith of Rome's power under Trajan and Hadrian.
This a period of conquering and consolidating, with the Empire bringing stability (pax roman) to the numerous peoples within its borders.
The most interesting sections in Pax are in fact about all these peoples and life in the provinces, from the Judeans (very much in revolt) to the British expeditions, the Germanic and the Dacian uprisings. The period also the includes eruption of Vesuvius.
Compared to the first two volumes, it misses the pure drama of the Fall of the Republic or the Augustus - Marc Antony rivalry (peace is boring :)) but there is still enough fascinating material here too.
This is called a trilogy but I could see it become a tetralogy with a concluding volume on the decline and fall...
'Pax' starts where Caesar's Julio-Claudian dynasty ends with Nero's suicide in 69 AD and ends with the death of Hadrian, almost 70 years later.
It covers the chaotic Year of Four Emperors, the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, Domitian) and the zenith of Rome's power under Trajan and Hadrian.
This a period of conquering and consolidating, with the Empire bringing stability (pax roman) to the numerous peoples within its borders.
The most interesting sections in Pax are in fact about all these peoples and life in the provinces, from the Judeans (very much in revolt) to the British expeditions, the Germanic and the Dacian uprisings. The period also the includes eruption of Vesuvius.
Compared to the first two volumes, it misses the pure drama of the Fall of the Republic or the Augustus - Marc Antony rivalry (peace is boring :)) but there is still enough fascinating material here too.
This is called a trilogy but I could see it become a tetralogy with a concluding volume on the decline and fall...
June 5, 2023
I have what you might call a conflicted relationship with the works of the historian Tom Holland. While I find his books quite compelling to read, he has a few rhetorical tics that start to get old after a while, particularly once you read several of his books in succession. His approach to narrative history can also, at times, be a bit slippery, and it be difficult sometimes–even for those, like me, who know quite a bit about antiquity–to see where he’s replicating the prejudices and strangeness of the ancients and when he is narrating something that actually happened.
Nevertheless, I continue to gobble them up the moment they come out and, thanks to NetGalley, I was able to procure an ARC of Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age. Starting with the demise of the Emperor Nero and the subsequent chaos of the Year of the Four Emperors (in 69 CE) and running until the death of the Emperor Hadrian (in 138 CE), it’s a sweeping, bloody, libidinous history and a rousing good time. As has always been the case with Holland, he has a keen eye for how to make history into a narrative that sweeps you along in its wake.
As we read about the Year of the Four Emperors, for example, he gives us a deep dive into the lives, loves, and misdeeds of both Nero himself–who, among other things, married a boy named Sporus after he had him gelded–and those who fought over the throne he left behind. Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian emerge from these pages as true larger-than-life personalities, men driven by a combination of greed, lust for power and, in the case of Vespasian at least, some bit of nobility. Likewise, Titus is a playboy but genuinely is an effective if short-lived ruler, just as his brother, Domitian, is a thoroughly competent but debilitatingly paranoid autocrat.
Likewise, Nerva, Trajan, and Hadrian are all, in their own ways, responsible for the Pax Romana. Nerva, because he was able to restore the Empire to stability after the dangerous last years of Domitian; Trajan because he was a true military genius, able to stretch the bounds of the Empire into new realms; and Hadrian because, recognizing the limits of imperial power, he pulled back the boundaries to sustainable levels. Each of them becomes, in Holland’s capable hands, men of flesh-and-blood, rather than simply stereotypes or cold marble statues.
This isn’t to say that Pax doesn’t also draw our attention to the marginalized. Like any good storyteller, Holland knows that a truly comprehensive history of Roman might must also pay attention to those who didn’t occupy the higher echelons of society and power. To this end, he draws our attention to the lives of soldiers and slaves and numerous others, both in Rome but also on the frontiers. In doing so, he gives us a sense of what it might have been like to live in those times, whether it was during the tumult of political crisis or during the eruption of a city-destroying volcano. The portions of the book detailing the explosion of Vesuvius–which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum–are particularly vivid. One almost feels as if one’s watching a film.
Pax also demonstrates the extent to which the Roman peace was, paradoxically, the result of significant armed conflict. The Romans were never ones to accept that there might be those around the Mediterranean Sea and its environs that might not want to bend their necks to the yoke, and they tended to respond to revolts with significant violence. This was as true in Dacia as it was in Jerusalem, and Holland pays particular attention to Trajan’s Dacian War and the siege of Jerusalem conducted by both Vespasian and his son Titus. As with the sequences dealing with Vesuvius, these unfold almost cinematically, such is Holland’s command of the story.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Pax. I’m not sure that I learned anything new, necessarily, but it’s always a pleasure to read Holland. Moreover, as he points out in his introduction, he has no interest in drawing similarities between the Romans and those of us in the present. If there’s one thing that allows this book to stand out, it’s its resolute willingness to treat the Romans as the strangers that they are. Given the extent to which everyone seems to want to see themselves reflected in the mirror of antiquity, this is a very remarkable approach, indeed.
Nevertheless, I continue to gobble them up the moment they come out and, thanks to NetGalley, I was able to procure an ARC of Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age. Starting with the demise of the Emperor Nero and the subsequent chaos of the Year of the Four Emperors (in 69 CE) and running until the death of the Emperor Hadrian (in 138 CE), it’s a sweeping, bloody, libidinous history and a rousing good time. As has always been the case with Holland, he has a keen eye for how to make history into a narrative that sweeps you along in its wake.
As we read about the Year of the Four Emperors, for example, he gives us a deep dive into the lives, loves, and misdeeds of both Nero himself–who, among other things, married a boy named Sporus after he had him gelded–and those who fought over the throne he left behind. Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian emerge from these pages as true larger-than-life personalities, men driven by a combination of greed, lust for power and, in the case of Vespasian at least, some bit of nobility. Likewise, Titus is a playboy but genuinely is an effective if short-lived ruler, just as his brother, Domitian, is a thoroughly competent but debilitatingly paranoid autocrat.
Likewise, Nerva, Trajan, and Hadrian are all, in their own ways, responsible for the Pax Romana. Nerva, because he was able to restore the Empire to stability after the dangerous last years of Domitian; Trajan because he was a true military genius, able to stretch the bounds of the Empire into new realms; and Hadrian because, recognizing the limits of imperial power, he pulled back the boundaries to sustainable levels. Each of them becomes, in Holland’s capable hands, men of flesh-and-blood, rather than simply stereotypes or cold marble statues.
This isn’t to say that Pax doesn’t also draw our attention to the marginalized. Like any good storyteller, Holland knows that a truly comprehensive history of Roman might must also pay attention to those who didn’t occupy the higher echelons of society and power. To this end, he draws our attention to the lives of soldiers and slaves and numerous others, both in Rome but also on the frontiers. In doing so, he gives us a sense of what it might have been like to live in those times, whether it was during the tumult of political crisis or during the eruption of a city-destroying volcano. The portions of the book detailing the explosion of Vesuvius–which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum–are particularly vivid. One almost feels as if one’s watching a film.
Pax also demonstrates the extent to which the Roman peace was, paradoxically, the result of significant armed conflict. The Romans were never ones to accept that there might be those around the Mediterranean Sea and its environs that might not want to bend their necks to the yoke, and they tended to respond to revolts with significant violence. This was as true in Dacia as it was in Jerusalem, and Holland pays particular attention to Trajan’s Dacian War and the siege of Jerusalem conducted by both Vespasian and his son Titus. As with the sequences dealing with Vesuvius, these unfold almost cinematically, such is Holland’s command of the story.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Pax. I’m not sure that I learned anything new, necessarily, but it’s always a pleasure to read Holland. Moreover, as he points out in his introduction, he has no interest in drawing similarities between the Romans and those of us in the present. If there’s one thing that allows this book to stand out, it’s its resolute willingness to treat the Romans as the strangers that they are. Given the extent to which everyone seems to want to see themselves reflected in the mirror of antiquity, this is a very remarkable approach, indeed.
November 10, 2023
After reading emperor of Rome by Mary beard and this back to back it’s interesting how they look at the same point in history(the golden age of Rome) and tell such different stories.
Tom holland really leans into the melodrama and takes Roman writing at face value. It’s very entertaining, like they’re characters in a novel. Mary beard questions the veracity of the writers, wondering about their motivations with a dry wit that’s also very entertaining. I enjoy them both.
P.S. I’m renaming my man cave the cubiculum!
Tom holland really leans into the melodrama and takes Roman writing at face value. It’s very entertaining, like they’re characters in a novel. Mary beard questions the veracity of the writers, wondering about their motivations with a dry wit that’s also very entertaining. I enjoy them both.
P.S. I’m renaming my man cave the cubiculum!
February 18, 2024
This was another great book by Tom Holland, this time going over the time period between the death of Nero and the death of Hadrian.
Holland’s style of writing is very readable and entertaining, making it another book of his that’s friendly to the general reader. However, the broad timescale of the book leads to a superficial telling of the history without going into too many details. I have to admit that I thought this was a pity, since I don’t know all that much about the reigns of the Flavians. While I definitely learned things, I felt that the book isn’t all that useful to those who are more well read in the Roman Empire and wish to know more about Rome’s Golden Age. This does not mean that I did not like it, on the contrary, I felt it was a very entertaining book. I especially liked the chapters discussing the Year of the Four Emperors or the one about the eruption of the Vesuvius and Pliny’s account of it. The parts discussing Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem or Agricola’s campaign in Britain were also very entertainingly written.
In conclusion it’s a great book for the general reader wishing to get introduced to this time period and being entertained while doing so without being fed with dry facts. Four stars!
“Universal though the Pax Romana reigned, no one ever doubted what it was founded upon. Peace was the fruit of victory - eternal victory. It was a soldier in the wilds beyond Palestine, scratching on a rock face, who put it best, perhaps: ‘The Romans always win.’”
Holland’s style of writing is very readable and entertaining, making it another book of his that’s friendly to the general reader. However, the broad timescale of the book leads to a superficial telling of the history without going into too many details. I have to admit that I thought this was a pity, since I don’t know all that much about the reigns of the Flavians. While I definitely learned things, I felt that the book isn’t all that useful to those who are more well read in the Roman Empire and wish to know more about Rome’s Golden Age. This does not mean that I did not like it, on the contrary, I felt it was a very entertaining book. I especially liked the chapters discussing the Year of the Four Emperors or the one about the eruption of the Vesuvius and Pliny’s account of it. The parts discussing Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem or Agricola’s campaign in Britain were also very entertainingly written.
In conclusion it’s a great book for the general reader wishing to get introduced to this time period and being entertained while doing so without being fed with dry facts. Four stars!
“Universal though the Pax Romana reigned, no one ever doubted what it was founded upon. Peace was the fruit of victory - eternal victory. It was a soldier in the wilds beyond Palestine, scratching on a rock face, who put it best, perhaps: ‘The Romans always win.’”
June 2, 2024
This is part three in Tom Holland’s “History of Rome” series, and again a good book, enjoyable to read. It spans the time from the year of the four emperors (69 AD), it deals with the Flavian emperors all the way to the emperors that are considered the good ones, like Trajan and Hadrian. It all comes to life quite well. Part one in the series, Rubicon, remains my favorite though.
Want to read
May 20, 2024i’m assuming this is not the tom holland i think of when i hear tom holland
February 25, 2024
Leer a Tom Holland siempre es una experiencia recomendable para cualquier amante de la historia, más como cuando con este libro vuelve a una época que domina tan bien como Roma. Hay muchos libros escritos sobre este tema, pero en ocasiones transmiten la sensación de estar describiendo una parte del cuadro. Tom Holland es capaz de dar una imagen global, de hacerte entender esta época, sin caer en clichés y subrayando las diferencias que hay con nuestra forma actual de ver el mundo.
Sí en Rubicón relataba la caída de la República, y en Dinastía hablaba de los primeros emperadores hasta Nerón, en PAX continúa la saga, con la historia de los diez emperadores que a lo largo de más de un siglo consiguieron mantener el periodo de mayor estabilidad a pesar de los múltiples retos que tuvieron que enfrentar, gobernando pueblos de uno y otro lado del Mediterráneo bajo la misma mano, y más allá: de Roma hasta Britania y Egipto, pasando por Judea, Grecia, Dacia o Mesopotamia. Se inicia la narración contextualizando el año en el que Roma tuvo cuatro emperadores, hasta la llegada de un inesperadamente efectivo Vespasiano, capaz de implantar la dinastía Flavia que se prolongaría con Tito y se cerraría con el tiránico Domiciano. La revuelta de los judíos y su brutal represión, con la destrucción del templo incluida, fue un hecho clave que muchísimas veces olvidamos.
La transición de Nerva fue clave para la llegada de Trajano, el emperador hispano proclamado por muchos como el mejor de todos los tiempos y que llegó al imperio a su máxima extensión geográfica y estabilidad política. Adriano el primer emperador con barba fue su sucesor una mezcla de soldado y filósofo ambivalente que después de retroceder en sus conquistas para consolidar el Imperio vivió la muerte de su concubino Antinóo como una de sus mayores tragedias.
Hay una frase de Tácito al principio del libro que es clave para entender su planteamiento "Dejan tras de sí un desierto y lo llaman paz". La única forma que tiene Roma de conseguir la paz es aplastar a sus enemigos y el que la domina es el que tiene la capacidad de ejercer el monopolio de la violencia, no es una paz cidílica y negociada sin obtenida a punta de espada. Cualquier otra interpretación es errónea.
Una etapa de estabilidad y esplendor que es un placer recorrer de la mano de Tom Holland. Mientras esperamos que nos traiga su próximo libro tendremos que conformarnos como Nuria con oírlo en The rest is history.
Sí en Rubicón relataba la caída de la República, y en Dinastía hablaba de los primeros emperadores hasta Nerón, en PAX continúa la saga, con la historia de los diez emperadores que a lo largo de más de un siglo consiguieron mantener el periodo de mayor estabilidad a pesar de los múltiples retos que tuvieron que enfrentar, gobernando pueblos de uno y otro lado del Mediterráneo bajo la misma mano, y más allá: de Roma hasta Britania y Egipto, pasando por Judea, Grecia, Dacia o Mesopotamia. Se inicia la narración contextualizando el año en el que Roma tuvo cuatro emperadores, hasta la llegada de un inesperadamente efectivo Vespasiano, capaz de implantar la dinastía Flavia que se prolongaría con Tito y se cerraría con el tiránico Domiciano. La revuelta de los judíos y su brutal represión, con la destrucción del templo incluida, fue un hecho clave que muchísimas veces olvidamos.
La transición de Nerva fue clave para la llegada de Trajano, el emperador hispano proclamado por muchos como el mejor de todos los tiempos y que llegó al imperio a su máxima extensión geográfica y estabilidad política. Adriano el primer emperador con barba fue su sucesor una mezcla de soldado y filósofo ambivalente que después de retroceder en sus conquistas para consolidar el Imperio vivió la muerte de su concubino Antinóo como una de sus mayores tragedias.
Hay una frase de Tácito al principio del libro que es clave para entender su planteamiento "Dejan tras de sí un desierto y lo llaman paz". La única forma que tiene Roma de conseguir la paz es aplastar a sus enemigos y el que la domina es el que tiene la capacidad de ejercer el monopolio de la violencia, no es una paz cidílica y negociada sin obtenida a punta de espada. Cualquier otra interpretación es errónea.
Una etapa de estabilidad y esplendor que es un placer recorrer de la mano de Tom Holland. Mientras esperamos que nos traiga su próximo libro tendremos que conformarnos como Nuria con oírlo en The rest is history.
February 3, 2024
Beautifully written narrative look, from a god's eye view, of the height of Imperial power, majesty, and debauchery from Nero to Hadrian. The Romans still fascinate us all these many centuries later, and Holland's book showcases as to why.
Partly because we admire the Romans for their martial virtues, their stoic manliness in the face of disaster, and struggle, and in their undeniable achievements, and lasting legacy upon both Western, and world, culture. Partly, however, it is also because they are beyond admiration, and open targets for revulsion, in equal measure.
They were hideously cruel, and entirely pitiless. The levels of depravity, degeneracy, and gross immorality amongst their elites are frighteningly familiar to anyone who even casually listens to the news, and they often took hedonism to disgustingly new heights.
And while us military historians often praise them for their military prowess, and for the Legions being the model, still, for all professional armies, it is inescapable that their methodology of war fighting was barbarically cruel, exceedingly so for a people who proclaimed themselves to be the arbiter of civilization.
However, all of that is a judgment from presentism, and Holland, to his credit, refrains from it in his work. Passing judgment sparingly, he instead guides you along in one of the greatest stories in all of the long annals of human history. Along the way he shows you both the good, and admirable, and the revolting, and monstrous, mostly without comment.
And I believe that is as it should be. History exists both to inform, and to guide, and even with actions that were terrible, there are always lessons to be learned.
Highly recommended.
Partly because we admire the Romans for their martial virtues, their stoic manliness in the face of disaster, and struggle, and in their undeniable achievements, and lasting legacy upon both Western, and world, culture. Partly, however, it is also because they are beyond admiration, and open targets for revulsion, in equal measure.
They were hideously cruel, and entirely pitiless. The levels of depravity, degeneracy, and gross immorality amongst their elites are frighteningly familiar to anyone who even casually listens to the news, and they often took hedonism to disgustingly new heights.
And while us military historians often praise them for their military prowess, and for the Legions being the model, still, for all professional armies, it is inescapable that their methodology of war fighting was barbarically cruel, exceedingly so for a people who proclaimed themselves to be the arbiter of civilization.
However, all of that is a judgment from presentism, and Holland, to his credit, refrains from it in his work. Passing judgment sparingly, he instead guides you along in one of the greatest stories in all of the long annals of human history. Along the way he shows you both the good, and admirable, and the revolting, and monstrous, mostly without comment.
And I believe that is as it should be. History exists both to inform, and to guide, and even with actions that were terrible, there are always lessons to be learned.
Highly recommended.
July 11, 2023
Tom Holland's latest book, 'Pax', continues his epic journey through ancient Rome, from the Republic to – one assumes – the eventual decline and fall of the once-mighty empire. This time, it is the turn of Rome's heyday, from the suicide of Nero through to the accession of Antoninus Pius. Within its pages are all the political shenanigans and character portraits that one has come to love and cherish from Holland, mixed with as much social history as the narrative – and sources – will allow. The limits of the book – Nero and Antoninus Pius – might be surprising: any 'golden age' of Rome would surely exclude the former but include all of the Five Good Emperors. Holland, however, is a master storyteller, and a view of the grand narrative across the series could explain much. Perhaps more surprisingly, given its title, are the many conflicts – including the year of the four emperors, but also wars in the provinces and beyond – that are such a significant part of the tale.
Yet as Holland proves beyond doubt, 'The Roman peace was maintained at the point of a sword': without one, the other would not have been possible. While Rome, by and large, enjoyed the fruits of its harvest – 'glory, power, wealth' – it was supported by the backs of the provinces, the conquered territories, the slaves. Each suffered for this golden age, with taxes and constraints and lack of liberty. Yet each could also enjoy the benefits. With full marks to Holland for quoting 'Life of Brian' at length, the Pax Romana did provide ‘sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water systems and public health’. It wasn’t just safe to walk the streets at night, it was safe to travel the roads and sail the seas, from one end of the empire to the other. What, Holland asks throughout, does it therefore mean to be free? And freedom from what?
Of course, just as the conquered peoples bore some consequences of the Pax Romana, the Roman system, and the city itself, bore others. For a culture based on the virtues of manliness, of simplicity, of dignity, what was to become of it when dangerous habits – of luxury, comfort and, heavens forbid, cookery – were imported along with the hordes of weirdoes and degenerates from the barbarous provinces? What place for the traditions, for the gods, for Romans, in this new empire? When those born far beyond the seven hills were becoming senators, consuls, even emperors, what even constituted a ‘Roman’?
In the endless wake of Brexit, these questions are as relevant still as they were two thousand years ago. Regardless of how much Holland insists in his foreword that the Romans were ‘unnervingly, compellingly different’, 'Pax' makes them seem immediate – almost modern. Indeed, it would seem that many of the rifts rocking our own world have ancient precedents. Admittedly, the way those issues, which on the surface feel so familiar, were solved is less recognisable. But there can be no doubt that Holland has succeeded in making the ancient world – a world that is suddenly seeming much smaller, where the definitions of ‘foreign’ morph and adapt, where worldviews are constantly clashing, where the rush of ‘development’ takes away from beauty and tradition, where violence and disturbance (or the threat whereof) is the obverse of ‘peace’, and where the same old tired debates over the benefits, or not, of being part of a ‘superpower’ – appear not so very far away.
Holland has undeniably succeeded in his goal of showing ‘the inhabitants of the Roman world the respect due to all ancient peoples: by attempting to understand them not on our terms, but on their own’. There is, however, a little colouring by his own worldview, and there are contours of 'Dominion', which considers how Christianity has influenced the West, within. There is no need to be a theologian to catch the occasional Biblical quotation slipped into the text, and while a point can be made about Pax Romana as an essential precondition for the spread of this new religion, 'Pax' might not be the most appropriate stage for it. This, of course, is entirely dependent on the reader’s own point of view, but for some it’s rather like jumping on a tour bus in Rome, eagerly anticipating a day of spotting all the ancient sites, only to spend the next five hours listening to the tour guide saying, ‘On your right is the basilica de Santa Maria’.
Thankfully, with 'Pax', we are treated to good views of the Colosseum, the Palatine, and the Pantheon as well. Nor does the tour end there: we spend a dramatic few days in the Bay of Naples, watching in horror along with Pliny the Younger as Vesuvius wipes out countless lives and flattens cities; we visit the northern extremes along the Danube and the Rhine, cross the cold grey sea to meet the strange and barbarous lands of the Caledonians; traverse the mountains and plains of Parthia; and sail along the Nile mourning with Hadrian for the loss of his lover. And then there is the written style, both flamboyant and eloquent, that is the hallmark of Holland’s writing. Although there is nothing to rival my favourite quotation – of any book, ever – ‘that the Athenians were content to ascribe the origins of their city to a discarded toss-rag’, there is still a delightful turn of phrase that brings to life his subjects ‘in all their ambivalence, their complexity and their contradictions’. Just as the ‘golden age’ of Rome is a story of assimilation, of peoples coming together under an all-encompassing flag, in 'Pax' Holland has achieved a remarkable synthesis of ideas and themes, of astounding scholarship and beautiful accessibility, to make something that truly stands out from the crowd.
Yet as Holland proves beyond doubt, 'The Roman peace was maintained at the point of a sword': without one, the other would not have been possible. While Rome, by and large, enjoyed the fruits of its harvest – 'glory, power, wealth' – it was supported by the backs of the provinces, the conquered territories, the slaves. Each suffered for this golden age, with taxes and constraints and lack of liberty. Yet each could also enjoy the benefits. With full marks to Holland for quoting 'Life of Brian' at length, the Pax Romana did provide ‘sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, fresh water systems and public health’. It wasn’t just safe to walk the streets at night, it was safe to travel the roads and sail the seas, from one end of the empire to the other. What, Holland asks throughout, does it therefore mean to be free? And freedom from what?
Of course, just as the conquered peoples bore some consequences of the Pax Romana, the Roman system, and the city itself, bore others. For a culture based on the virtues of manliness, of simplicity, of dignity, what was to become of it when dangerous habits – of luxury, comfort and, heavens forbid, cookery – were imported along with the hordes of weirdoes and degenerates from the barbarous provinces? What place for the traditions, for the gods, for Romans, in this new empire? When those born far beyond the seven hills were becoming senators, consuls, even emperors, what even constituted a ‘Roman’?
In the endless wake of Brexit, these questions are as relevant still as they were two thousand years ago. Regardless of how much Holland insists in his foreword that the Romans were ‘unnervingly, compellingly different’, 'Pax' makes them seem immediate – almost modern. Indeed, it would seem that many of the rifts rocking our own world have ancient precedents. Admittedly, the way those issues, which on the surface feel so familiar, were solved is less recognisable. But there can be no doubt that Holland has succeeded in making the ancient world – a world that is suddenly seeming much smaller, where the definitions of ‘foreign’ morph and adapt, where worldviews are constantly clashing, where the rush of ‘development’ takes away from beauty and tradition, where violence and disturbance (or the threat whereof) is the obverse of ‘peace’, and where the same old tired debates over the benefits, or not, of being part of a ‘superpower’ – appear not so very far away.
Holland has undeniably succeeded in his goal of showing ‘the inhabitants of the Roman world the respect due to all ancient peoples: by attempting to understand them not on our terms, but on their own’. There is, however, a little colouring by his own worldview, and there are contours of 'Dominion', which considers how Christianity has influenced the West, within. There is no need to be a theologian to catch the occasional Biblical quotation slipped into the text, and while a point can be made about Pax Romana as an essential precondition for the spread of this new religion, 'Pax' might not be the most appropriate stage for it. This, of course, is entirely dependent on the reader’s own point of view, but for some it’s rather like jumping on a tour bus in Rome, eagerly anticipating a day of spotting all the ancient sites, only to spend the next five hours listening to the tour guide saying, ‘On your right is the basilica de Santa Maria’.
Thankfully, with 'Pax', we are treated to good views of the Colosseum, the Palatine, and the Pantheon as well. Nor does the tour end there: we spend a dramatic few days in the Bay of Naples, watching in horror along with Pliny the Younger as Vesuvius wipes out countless lives and flattens cities; we visit the northern extremes along the Danube and the Rhine, cross the cold grey sea to meet the strange and barbarous lands of the Caledonians; traverse the mountains and plains of Parthia; and sail along the Nile mourning with Hadrian for the loss of his lover. And then there is the written style, both flamboyant and eloquent, that is the hallmark of Holland’s writing. Although there is nothing to rival my favourite quotation – of any book, ever – ‘that the Athenians were content to ascribe the origins of their city to a discarded toss-rag’, there is still a delightful turn of phrase that brings to life his subjects ‘in all their ambivalence, their complexity and their contradictions’. Just as the ‘golden age’ of Rome is a story of assimilation, of peoples coming together under an all-encompassing flag, in 'Pax' Holland has achieved a remarkable synthesis of ideas and themes, of astounding scholarship and beautiful accessibility, to make something that truly stands out from the crowd.
October 20, 2023
Tom Holland’s mastery of narrative history ensures that Pax is a gripping, multifaceted and highly informative read. Tracing ‘Rome’s Golden Age’ from the death of Nero, the last in the line of the family that had ruled Rome since Julius Caesar had crossed the Rubicon and effectively ended centuries of republican governance, the year of the four emperors, the rule of Vespasian, the disastrous eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79, and the glory days of Domitian, Trajan and Hadrian. The story as Holland tells it bristles with life and character underpinned by serious scholarship and interpretation.
February 20, 2024
Lost me in parts but overall and interesting read.
I'd highly recommend Rubicon or Dynasty as must reads of Hollands books about Roman history.
I'd highly recommend Rubicon or Dynasty as must reads of Hollands books about Roman history.
November 7, 2023
I liked this book but I m type that would like this book… summed up this covers the pax/peace years of the golden age of Rome. From Nero - hadrian there was a surprisingly amount of civil war during the peace era of Rome.
April 17, 2024
Tom Holland from "The Rest is History"... one of the few people I can call a true role model.
I must first confess that I generally do not enjoy Tom's writing style, as I am a simple man with a preference for plain writing style. His style is as if he is writing a beautiful novel, reveling in the English language.
Pax covers the time when Rome was at its highest peak. The most wealthy and peaceful, with no one to genuinely pose a threat to them. The wealth and peace, however, were not a given.
Over 50 years had passed since Augustus had died. Augustus had at once brought the Roman Republic to an end, but also stabilized the empire, bringing it to peace. Ever since the civil war days in the dying days of the republic, Romans had been fearful of internal conflict rising again. Sure enough, when Nero, the last descendant of Augustus died, the question of who will rule came up. Rome had 4 emperors in a year. Civil conflict was clearly a threat once again.
It was only when Vespasian came to power that order was restored. Vespasian was a military man. Someone who had discipline, and practical experience in war, but also understood well what the Roman people wanted: bread, circus, but also shows of tradition and the greatness of the empire. He was the first of many emperors that in a very Roman and disciplined way strengthened the state.
Like any empire, Rome was often conflicted about its reach. Expansion for such mighty people only seemed natural. But with expansion comes the cost of bringing order and peace to barbarous places. Stamp down on rebellion in Judea, and find trouble brewing in Romania meanwhile. Solve the Romanian problem, and soon enough you will find yourself thin on resources in Britain, where local savages are trying to take back control. This is how a Roman emperor might experience their everyday work.
Limiting the reach of the Empire was no easy solution. The Roman people wanted to be great, to expand, to bring civilization to the furthest reaches of the globe. So it was that numerous emperors in a row tried to balance this hard act.
The Roman Empire is a strange place for us. People love reading about it because it is at once exciting, brutal, and so alien to us. It is hard to recognize ourselves in the people who ruled Europe two thousand years ago. Tom Holland creates an excellent environment where you get to feel how the Romans felt that they lived their lives, and what was important to them.
I must first confess that I generally do not enjoy Tom's writing style, as I am a simple man with a preference for plain writing style. His style is as if he is writing a beautiful novel, reveling in the English language.
Pax covers the time when Rome was at its highest peak. The most wealthy and peaceful, with no one to genuinely pose a threat to them. The wealth and peace, however, were not a given.
Over 50 years had passed since Augustus had died. Augustus had at once brought the Roman Republic to an end, but also stabilized the empire, bringing it to peace. Ever since the civil war days in the dying days of the republic, Romans had been fearful of internal conflict rising again. Sure enough, when Nero, the last descendant of Augustus died, the question of who will rule came up. Rome had 4 emperors in a year. Civil conflict was clearly a threat once again.
It was only when Vespasian came to power that order was restored. Vespasian was a military man. Someone who had discipline, and practical experience in war, but also understood well what the Roman people wanted: bread, circus, but also shows of tradition and the greatness of the empire. He was the first of many emperors that in a very Roman and disciplined way strengthened the state.
Like any empire, Rome was often conflicted about its reach. Expansion for such mighty people only seemed natural. But with expansion comes the cost of bringing order and peace to barbarous places. Stamp down on rebellion in Judea, and find trouble brewing in Romania meanwhile. Solve the Romanian problem, and soon enough you will find yourself thin on resources in Britain, where local savages are trying to take back control. This is how a Roman emperor might experience their everyday work.
Limiting the reach of the Empire was no easy solution. The Roman people wanted to be great, to expand, to bring civilization to the furthest reaches of the globe. So it was that numerous emperors in a row tried to balance this hard act.
The Roman Empire is a strange place for us. People love reading about it because it is at once exciting, brutal, and so alien to us. It is hard to recognize ourselves in the people who ruled Europe two thousand years ago. Tom Holland creates an excellent environment where you get to feel how the Romans felt that they lived their lives, and what was important to them.
November 21, 2023
Really good, compares very favorably as a narrative to Mary Beard's SPQR. Tom Holland is a decisive writer. He never uses those qualifying phrases so beloved by Beard and other top-flight historians, "Although we can never know for sure," or "it seems likely that." For Holland, narratives are declaratory acts. He understand that historical writing is a palimpsest, a merciless scraping away of what came before.
I think this is the perfect book to read if you, like so many men, find yourself thinking constantly about the Roman Empire, and if you can do without Mary Beard's long soliloquys on gender dynamics in the late Republic.
My only qualms with Holland's book is that it is (1) too short, and (2) slightly unfocused. I don't believe he explained, for example, why he started with Nero and ended with Hadrian. It appears that the "Pax Romana" is seen as ending after Marcus Aurelius, not Hadrian. Perhaps Holland is planning a sequel, which I will look forward to.
I think this is the perfect book to read if you, like so many men, find yourself thinking constantly about the Roman Empire, and if you can do without Mary Beard's long soliloquys on gender dynamics in the late Republic.
My only qualms with Holland's book is that it is (1) too short, and (2) slightly unfocused. I don't believe he explained, for example, why he started with Nero and ended with Hadrian. It appears that the "Pax Romana" is seen as ending after Marcus Aurelius, not Hadrian. Perhaps Holland is planning a sequel, which I will look forward to.
December 13, 2023
Overall: 3.5 stars
This was a good overview of the Roman Empire from Nero to Hadrian, which was a subject I knew pretty much nothing about before going into this book. Holland writes with a dry humor, which I enjoyed. However, I feel like the author sort of wandered around following some random interests (like the life of Pliny, for example) and would sometimes lose the main plot, and when you're covering centuries of history like this, I think it's important to stay on scope so the reader doesn't get lost. It's already confusing enough that there are so many emperors back-to-back-to-back with all those coups, so introducing any other main characters, so to speak, sort of muddled the narrative.
Overall, while I would say I enjoyed this book and it did a good job at introducing me to this part of Ancient Roman history, it wasn't as focused or clean a narrative as the previous entry in the series, Dynasty.
This was a good overview of the Roman Empire from Nero to Hadrian, which was a subject I knew pretty much nothing about before going into this book. Holland writes with a dry humor, which I enjoyed. However, I feel like the author sort of wandered around following some random interests (like the life of Pliny, for example) and would sometimes lose the main plot, and when you're covering centuries of history like this, I think it's important to stay on scope so the reader doesn't get lost. It's already confusing enough that there are so many emperors back-to-back-to-back with all those coups, so introducing any other main characters, so to speak, sort of muddled the narrative.
Overall, while I would say I enjoyed this book and it did a good job at introducing me to this part of Ancient Roman history, it wasn't as focused or clean a narrative as the previous entry in the series, Dynasty.
December 3, 2023
As excellent as Rubicon. My Roman Empire is the Roman Empire.
March 7, 2024
Altijd goed
September 12, 2023
A truly fascinating account of an infamously tumultuous period in the ancient history of the world, this book taught me many things, such as the best way to describe my good friend Ben Phillips: a hirsute Catamite.
January 17, 2024
Personally struggled to get through it! Perhaps it would have been better to read than audio?
June 11, 2024
Listened to the audiobook. Hope Tom will narrate all his books.
September 3, 2023
Picked this up in the hope that in the last few years Holland has undergone some training in historical method etc but sadly this is as disappointing as much of his other work. Yes, it's all lovely and readable; he writes well. But it's so constrained by his own limited knowledge of source materials and historiography that it's almost laughably bad in places, his narrative effectively a rewrite of Suetonius here, Pliny there and with a focus on pop coverage of key events. So he spends a great deal of time on Pompeii. Why? I would suppose because sources are easily available and easy to paraphrase. You'd think the only minority group in the Roman empire were Judeans, making key appearances throughout the book. Why? I suspect again because of ease of access. It's just pop ancient history he's happened to read rather than research.
He tries to make the regurgitation of Suetonius somewhat less obvious by extending beyond Domitian through to Hadrian. I'd suppose it makes sense if your major themes are around war and peace to cover off Trajan but I also suspect it's because he knows his audience and he's ticking a bunch of boxes for British readers. 'Roman Emperors? Who's this Galba guy? Oooooh Hadrian! Been to Hadrian's Wall I have!'.
It's sub-wikipedia dreck at a historical level delivered in a well-written way. It's a firmly-polished turd.
He tries to make the regurgitation of Suetonius somewhat less obvious by extending beyond Domitian through to Hadrian. I'd suppose it makes sense if your major themes are around war and peace to cover off Trajan but I also suspect it's because he knows his audience and he's ticking a bunch of boxes for British readers. 'Roman Emperors? Who's this Galba guy? Oooooh Hadrian! Been to Hadrian's Wall I have!'.
It's sub-wikipedia dreck at a historical level delivered in a well-written way. It's a firmly-polished turd.
March 17, 2024
Tom never disappoints. Great history of the Roman ceasars. Starting with Nero and ending with Hadrian. The period that left the most remains (colloseum, pantheon, castle d' angelo, trajan forum, etc).
December 19, 2023
This is fishing for a sequel in a most shameless manner, even for a fucking history book
January 27, 2024
This book is a helpful and fascinating guide through the major events in the Roman Empire from the end of Nero's reign to the death of Hadrian. This is not technically a work of academic history, but it is well-researched I don't think any of the history Holland reports would be largely disputed. I appreciate that his approach is to bring together all the sources and accounts, and largely leaves it up to the reader to judge the historicity of certain things. In this sense, Holland is the perfect historical guide because he doesn't spoon-feed you the facts, but also doesn't leave you alone to fend for yourself when considering the events. As a student of the Bible, my main interest in this book was the background it would provide to the later parts of the NT and the early church. The fact that this book was not trying to relate itself at all to the NT made it all the more interesting to think about the NT from the perspective of this book. It reminds one that there was much happening in the world when the apostles were ministering. My copy of the book is full of sticky notes with interesting historical and cultural background information related to the NT. I would highly recommend this book to those of us reading the NT more than casually, for it greatly helps situate the apostolic in its cultural context, especially because that wasn't his goal in the book!
December 26, 2023
A simply dazzling work as always from the prolific hand of Holland. From Hadrian's Wall to the temples of Jerusalem to the incinerated streets of Pompeii, the reader is taken on a relentless journey through the Pax Romana. The cast of characters on this immense stage is colourful to day the least, and Holland is a more than capable narrator, wielding his pen like a Roman soldier wielding a sword. Take Nero's search for a lookalike for his late wife Poppaea:
"The search had been long but ultimately successful. A new Poppaea had been brought to the emperor's bed. Soft-skinned and auburn-haired, she seemed to all who saw her to be the ultimate manifestation of Nero's genius for transmuting fantasy into reality ... First, though, the bride-to-be had to be readied for her future as Caesar's wife. A surgeon had been summoned. Poppaea's doppelgänger, strapped onto the operating table, had been obliged to endure the loss of his genitals: testicals, penis and all ..."
This is narrative history at its best.
"The search had been long but ultimately successful. A new Poppaea had been brought to the emperor's bed. Soft-skinned and auburn-haired, she seemed to all who saw her to be the ultimate manifestation of Nero's genius for transmuting fantasy into reality ... First, though, the bride-to-be had to be readied for her future as Caesar's wife. A surgeon had been summoned. Poppaea's doppelgänger, strapped onto the operating table, had been obliged to endure the loss of his genitals: testicals, penis and all ..."
This is narrative history at its best.
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