Crassus
The First Tycoon
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Crassus
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Narrated by:
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Julian Elfer
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By:
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Peter Stothard
About this listen
The story of Rome's richest man, who died a humiliating desert death in search of military glory
Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-53 BCE) was a modern man in an ancient world, a pioneer disrupter of finance and politics, and the richest man of the last years of the Roman republic. Without his catastrophic ambition, this trailblazing tycoon might have quietly entered history as Rome's first modern political financier. Instead, Crassus and his son led an army on an unprovoked campaign against Parthia into what are now the borderlands of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, losing a battle at Carrhae which scarred Roman minds for generations.
After Crassus was killed, historians told many stories of his demise. Some said that his open mouth, shriveled by desert air, had been filled with molten gold as testament to his lifetime of greed. His story poses both immediate and lasting questions about the intertwining of money, ambition, and power.
©2022 Peter Stothard (P)2022 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Empires of the Normans
- Makers of Europe, Conquerors of Asia
- By: Levi Roach
- Narrated by: Luke Thompson
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Empire of the Normans tells the extraordinary story of how the descendants of Viking marauders in northern France came to dominate European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern politics. It is a tale of ambitious adventures and fierce pirates, of fortunes made and fortunes lost. Across the generations, the Normans made their influence felt across Western Europe and the Mediterranean, from the British Isles to North Africa, and even to the Holy Land, with a combination of military might, political savvy, deeply held religious beliefs, and a profound sense of their own destiny.
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2 out of 5 stars
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disappointing
- By Amazon Customer on 08-05-23
By: Levi Roach
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Sparta
- Rise of a Warrior Nation
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story5 out of 5 stars 22
The Spartans of ancient Greece are typically portrayed as macho heroes: noble, laconic, totally fearless, and impervious to pain. And indeed, they often lived up to this image. But life was not as simple as this image suggests. In truth, ancient Sparta was a city of contrasts.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The content and the narrator’s voice.
- By Inga McGee on 11-04-24
By: Philip Matyszak
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The Ghosts of Cannae
- Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic
- By: Robert L. O'Connell
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 372
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 263
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 261
For fans of Victor Davis Hanson, Donald Kagan, and Barry Strauss comes a rich, sweeping account of the most imitated---and vicious---battle in history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hannibal's Legacy
- By Douglas on 11-10-10
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Greece Against Rome
- The Fall of the Hellenistic Kingdoms 250-31 BC
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 24
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
Towards the middle of the third century BC, the Hellenistic kingdoms were near their peak. In terms of population, economy, and military power, each was vastly superior to Rome, not to mention in fields such as medicine, architecture, science, philosophy, and literature. But over the next two and a half centuries, Rome would eventually conquer these kingdoms while adopting so much of Hellenistic culture that the resultant hybrid is known as "Graeco-Roman." In Greece Against Rome, Philip Matyszak relates this epic tale from the Hellenistic perspective.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Really enjoyed the book and snark
- By Chris Smith on 05-27-23
By: Philip Matyszak
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Empire of the Black Sea
- The Rise and Fall of the Mithridatic World
- By: Duane W. Roller
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
What is commonly called the kingdom of Pontos flourished for over 200 years in the coastal regions of the Black Sea. At its peak in the early first century BC, it included much of the southern, eastern, and northern littoral, becoming one of the most important Hellenistic dynasties not founded by a successor of Alexander the Great. Previous histories of Pontos have focused almost exclusively on the career of its last ruler. Setting that famous reign in its wide historical context, Empire of the Black Sea is an engaging account of a powerful yet little-known ancient dynasty.
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3 out of 5 stars
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More of an academic journal than a book.
- By Amazon Customer on 07-05-23
By: Duane W. Roller
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Justinian
- Emperor, Soldier, Saint
- By: Peter Sarris
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 41
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Story5 out of 5 stars 37
Justinian is a radical reassessment of an emperor and his times. In the sixth century CE, the emperor Justinian presided over nearly four decades of remarkable change, in an era of geopolitical threats, climate change, and plague. From the eastern Roman—or Byzantine—capital of Constantinople, Justinian’s armies reconquered lost territory in Africa, Italy, and Spain. But these military exploits, historian Peter Sarris shows, were just one part of a larger program of imperial renewal.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Good telling of Justinian's reign
- By Amazon Customer on 02-04-24
By: Peter Sarris
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Lancaster and York
- The Wars of the Roses
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Maggie Mash
- Length: 22 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 474
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 406
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 406
Lancater and York is a riveting account of the Wars of the Roses, from beloved historian Alison Weir. The war between the houses of Lancaster and York was characterised by treachery, deceit, and bloody battles. Alison Weir's lucid and gripping account focuses on the human side of history. At the centre of the book stands Henry VI, the pious king whose mental instability led to political chaos, and his wife Margaret of Anjou, who took up her arms in her husband's cause and battled in a violent man's world.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Dense, fascinating history...questionable delivery
- By kbreezy on 10-04-17
By: Alison Weir
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Gladius: The World of the Roman Soldier
- By: Guy de la Bédoyère
- Narrated by: Piers Hampton
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
In Gladius, Guy de la Bedoyere takes us straight to the heart of what it meant to be a part of the Roman army. Rather than a history of the army itself, or a guide to military organization and fighting methods, this book is a ground-level recreation of what it was like to be a soldier in the army that made the empire. Surveying numerous aspects of life in the Roman army between 264 BCE and 337 CE, Gladius draws not only on the words of famed Roman historians, but also those of the soldiers themselves.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Nothing new here
- By Charles on 08-06-22
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Demetrius
- Sacker of Cities
- By: James Romm
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
The life of Demetrius (337-283 BCE) serves as a through-line to the forty years following the death of Alexander (323-282 BCE), a time of unparalleled turbulence and instability in the ancient world. With no monarch able to take Alexander’s place, his empire fragmented into five pieces. Capitalizing on good looks, youth, and sexual prowess, Demetrius sought to weld those pieces together and recover the dream of a single world-state, with a new Alexander—himself—at its head.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A chapter is missing
- By Brendon miller on 12-02-22
By: James Romm
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Rome
- Strategy of Empire
- By: James Lacey
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
The Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years—an impressive number by any standard. The decline and final collapse of the Roman Empire took longer than most other empires even existed. Any historian trying to unearth the grand strategy of the Roman Empire must, therefore, always remain cognizant of the time scale. Over the centuries, the Empire's underlying economy, political arrangements, military affairs, and the myriad of external threats it faced were in constant flux, making adaptability to changing circumstances as important to Roman strategists as it is to strategists of the modern era.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Antony NOT Anthony
- By Cody Rankin on 12-14-23
By: James Lacey
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Pax
- War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 202
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 193
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Story5 out of 5 stars 193
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
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book!
- By Mic on 09-27-23
By: Tom Holland
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The Plague of War: Athens, Sparta, and the Struggle for Ancient Greece
- Ancient Warfare and Civilization Series
- By: Jennifer T. Roberts
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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Story5 out of 5 stars 18
In 431 BC, the long simmering rivalry between the city-states of Athens and Sparta erupted into open warfare, and for more than a generation the two were locked in a life-and-death struggle. The war embroiled the entire Greek world, provoking years of butchery previously unparalleled in ancient Greece. Whole cities were exterminated, their men killed, their women and children enslaved.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping Historical Narrative
- By Ben on 06-21-21
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The Anglo-Saxon World
- By: Nicholas J. Higham, Martin J. Ryan
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 13
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Story4 out of 5 stars 13
The Anglo-Saxon period, stretching from the fifth to the late eleventh century, begins with the Roman retreat from the Western world and ends with the Norman takeover of England. Between these epochal events, many of the contours and patterns of English life that would endure for the next millennium were shaped. In this authoritative work, N. J. Higham and M. J. Ryan reexamine Anglo-Saxon England in the light of new research in disciplines as wide ranging as historical genetics, paleobotany, archaeology, literary studies, art history, and numismatics.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Reference, Not Narrative
- By Austin Howard on 01-03-24
By: Nicholas J. Higham, and others
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When Christ and His Saints Slept
- Plantagenets, Book 1
- By: Sharon Kay Penman
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 36 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,103
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 981
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 980
In When Christ and His Saints Slept, the first of a trilogy that will tell the story of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, master storyteller and historian Sharon Kay Penman illuminates one of the less known but fascinating periods of English history. It begins with the death of King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror and father of Maude, his only living legitimate offspring.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Please release Pt 2!
- By BVerité on 06-08-19
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Marcus Aurelius
- The Stoic Emperor
- By: Donald J. Robertson
- Narrated by: Donald J. Robertson
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
This novel biography brings Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) to life for a new generation by exploring the emperor’s fascinating psychological journey. Donald J. Robertson examines Marcus’s relationships with key figures in his life, such as his mother, Domitia Lucilla, and the emperor Hadrian, as well as his Stoic tutors. He draws extensively on Marcus’s own Meditations and correspondence, and he examines the emperor’s actions as detailed in the Augustan History and other ancient texts.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Robertson does it again
- By J. Gilmore on 02-17-24
What listeners say about Crassus
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rory Roberts Jr
- 01-26-23
Enjoyed it
Wasn’t down with the sophisticated British voice but it was well written and a fun listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-22-24
great job
well researched and mastery written work on otherwise obscure figure of Roman history. though it could have been more critical with regard to the ancient sources used
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- john rees
- 07-01-23
Excellent history of an elusive figure
This book is as much a history as a work of art. Beautiful prose as well as quality performance are a winning combo.
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1 person found this helpful