Rome and Persia

The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry

By: Adrian Goldsworthy

Narrated by: Mark Elstob

The extraordinary history of the epic rivalry between the ancient world’s two great superpowers.

"Magnificent." —The Spectator

The Roman Empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale. Its only true rival lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the region Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest that tantalized Greeks and Romans alike.

Tracing seven centuries of conflict between Rome and Persia, historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows how these two great powers evolved together. Despite their endless clashes, trade between the empires enriched them both, and a mutual respect prevented both Rome and Persia from permanently destroying the other.

Epic in scope, Rome and Persia completely reshapes our understanding of one of the greatest rivalries of world history.

“Epic history as it's means to be written! A splendid book that tells the story of the great imperial rivalry of the ancient world with narrative elan, scholarly authority, and a cast of extraordinary characters.” —Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History of Humanity

He does it again

One of my favorite authors on one of the most important periods of our time. Very informative and the reader does an excellent job as well highly recommended.

MAPS NEEDED

Excellent except for the lack of maps. Professor could have provided a pdf with maps. All know the locations of general areas (Egypt, Constantinople, Arabia, (modern) Armenia; but we don’t know Roman borders at different times or the routes of armies. This is an odd omission for such an accomplished author. I would have rated higher with maps.

Great Book for History Buffs

Great book for history buffs.

Author keeps a consistent theme of emphasizing the relationship bwtween the two great empires as  "limited objectives and limited war". Author admits there are nearly zero sources for Parthian/Sassanid side and just a few from Roman side, but the book is still very informative to complement the reader's other history knowledge.

For the audio book, the first chapter of chronology lists of kings and emperors needs a pdf page supplement. This would be much better received than listening to an impossibly long list and would provide a visual spelling of names that are spoken throughout the rest of the book.

Another excellent work by Goldsworthy

Once you get past the chronology (which doesn’t read aloud particularly well) and the reader’s pronunciation (which frequently leaves something to be desired), this is a compelling tale of two great empires. I found it to be interesting, well-paced (after the start of the book), and even-handed. Recommended to lovers of ancient history,

Fantastic novel!

I really enjoyed this book. I love history (Roman history is up there with my favorites) and have always liked reading about Roman and Persian realtions. I was so excited to discover this book and thoroughly enjoyed it! Adrian Goldsworthy is a great author (I also loved his books about Hannibal and Alexander) and HIGHLY recommend it! The narrator did a fantasic job - I have trouble reading physical books so listening is much preferred. Thank you!!