Pax

War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age

By: Tom Holland

Narrated by: Tom Holland

From an award-winning historian, the definitive account of the golden age of Rome—an ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatness

“Rarely has the distant past seemed so vividly alive.” —Financial Times

The Pax Romana has long been shorthand for the empire’s golden age. Stretching from Caledonia to Arabia, Rome ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state in the history of humankind.

Pax is a captivating narrative history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland shows ancient Rome in all its glory: Nero’s downfall, 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 shows that 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.

Tom Holland delivers like a Triumphant Caesar once again…

This addition to his narrative of Roman history is a masterpiece of storytelling, even after having knowledge of the main events of this period, Tom Holland will make connections that delight and surprise. If one is interested in the era of Rome at its climax, look no further, this book belongs in the pantheon of great Roman histories.

Perfect Appetizer for Gibbon

I'm about to tackle Edward Gibbon's massive The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and thought I'd listen to this as a primer. So glad I did. Tom Holland is one of my favorite narrative historians, and this is a worthy successor to Rubicon and Dynasty. The book covers the Year of the Four Emperors, the Flavian dynasty, Trajan, and Hadrian. I highly recommend.

Great book!

This is a lovely literary jaunt through the period known as the Pax Romana. This is a long way from the brusk lectures I’ve heard where “this date this happened, then this date that happened”. The book is filled with antidotes and personalized prospectives of the people covered, bring their stories to life.

Great consider narrative

Great narrative of Roman Empire. Easy to follow. Will listen again and again. Great. Excellent

Tom Holland is the perfect narrator for his works.

Excellent picture of the Peace of Rome brought by the Sword of Rome. Author is also the perfect narrator.