897: 9/12 Pax Romana: War, Peace and Conquest in the Roman World, by Adrian Goldsworthy
Image: Woman playing a kithara (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kithara) , from the Villa Boscoreale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Boscoreale) , 40–30 BC Pax Romana: War, Peace and Conquest in the Roman World, by Adrian Goldsworthy A groundbreaking and comprehensive history of the Roman Peace from one of the leading historians of the ancient world. Adrian Goldsworthy explains what the “Roman Peace” really meant and explores the methods used to govern the vast Roman empire from the Republic to the Emperors. Beautifully written and filled with interesting analysis, this is not a book for newcomers to Roman history. University-level readers will find it fascinating, however, as Goldsworthy makes connections they may never have imagined. The The Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, was the idea that the lands governed by the Empire enjoyed long-term stability and prospered because of their submission to Rome. Armies were sent to the frontiers to protect against the invasion of barbarians, whilst those inside the border happily donned the toga and quaffed wine by the gallon. This is the popular vision of Roman history—yet, as always, the truth is far more complicated, and in this book, Adrian Goldsworthy sets out to explore what the Pax Romana actually meant. Starting with expansion under the Roman Republic, he analyses the techniques the Romans used to control their vast territory right up until the Empire’s final collapse in the 5th century CE. The scope of the book is ambitious but, luckily, Goldsworthy handles the wealth of material with consummate skill.