Ten Caesars

Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine

By: Barry Strauss

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Bestselling classical historian Barry Strauss delivers “an exceptionally accessible history of the Roman Empire…much of Ten Caesars reads like a script for Game of Thrones” (The Wall Street Journal)—a summation of three and a half centuries of the Roman Empire as seen through the lives of ten of the most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine.

In this essential and “enlightening” (The New York Times Book Review) work, Barry Strauss tells the story of the Roman Empire from rise to reinvention, from Augustus, who founded the empire, to Constantine, who made it Christian and moved the capital east to Constantinople.

During these centuries Rome gained in splendor and territory, then lost both. By the fourth century, the time of Constantine, the Roman Empire had changed so dramatically in geography, ethnicity, religion, and culture that it would have been virtually unrecognizable to Augustus. Rome’s legacy remains today in so many ways, from language, law, and architecture to the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. Strauss examines this enduring heritage through the lives of the men who shaped it: Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Diocletian, and Constantine. Over the ages, they learned to maintain the family business—the government of an empire—by adapting when necessary and always persevering no matter the cost.

Ten Caesars is a “captivating narrative that breathes new life into a host of transformative figures” (Publishers Weekly). This “superb summation of four centuries of Roman history, a masterpiece of compression, confirms Barry Strauss as the foremost academic classicist writing for the general reader today” (The Wall Street Journal).

Critic reviews

"Narrator Arthur Morey makes listening to this examination of 10 notable Caesars, from Augustus to Constantine, an easy pleasure. He narrates with understanding and insight, providing the context of their times and delivering the sense of the text with appropriate nuances of judgment and feeling. He has a seemingly relaxed but attentive way of considering and conveying the material that makes his narration sound casual and smart at the same time. As he makes the audiobook sound like a series of informative stories, one might think simply sounding conversational is natural and easy. But it takes great talent, skill, and tact to sound so nonchalantly affable while giving the right interpretation with the right pronunciation, intonation, and clear but unobtrusive intelligence."

Excellent

A great history of Rome with the most important Caesars on the fore front. Highly recommend.

where's. Claudius?

Very good. Great narration. Endless research learned yet..... an hour spent on Nero and 5 minutes on Claudius. I can see not giving Caligula a chapter but I was interested in learning facts about Claudius and dismissing the many myths as the author did with Nero and the others. Disappointed.

The ten Caesars

If you like ancient history, you will like his book. I highly recommend listening to this book

Fascinating insights into ten pivotal Caesars

I have read a fair amount of Roman history, but this book gave me an overarching view of the effects of these ten pivotal Caesars on the total Roman empire and much of the world beyond and after it.

Good not great

Morey does a fantastic job with the reading.

Strauss is frustrating as a writer. He frequently asserts the absurd as fact. More importantly, he presents Constantine with Christian worship rather than a hard assessment of the man. Very frustrating at times.