Pax
War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
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Narrated by:
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Tom Holland
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By:
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Tom Holland
About this listen
The definitive history of Rome’s golden age—an ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatness
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.
©2023 Tom Holland (P)2023 Basic BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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An interesting set of introductions.
- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
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Flannery O'Connor and the Scandal of Faith
- By: Jessica Hooten Wilson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jessica Hooten Wilson
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Across six revealing lectures, Professor Jessica Hooten Wilson will introduce you to one of the 20th century’s most fascinating and divisive writers in Flannery O’Connor and the Scandal of Faith. Beginning with an overview of her brief but remarkable life, Professor Wilson will then take you through an exploration of themes in O’Connor’s work and the hallmarks of her literary style. You’ll get a clearer picture of O’Connor’s historical and geographical context while digging into how her stories can transcend time and place.
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The author reading her own book.
- By James T Casey on 12-16-24
By: Jessica Hooten Wilson, and others
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The Pagan World
- Ancient Religions Before Christianity
- By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Hans-Friedrich Mueller
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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In The Pagan World: Ancient Religions Before Christianity, you will meet the fascinating, ancient polytheistic peoples of the Mediterranean and beyond, their many gods and goddesses, and their public and private worship practices, as you come to appreciate the foundational role religion played in their lives. Professor Hans-Friedrich Mueller, of Union College in Schenectady, New York, makes this ancient world come alive in 24 lectures with captivating stories of intrigue, artifacts, illustrations, and detailed descriptions from primary sources of intriguing personalities.
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The Pagan World
- By arnold e andersen md Dr Andersen on 03-28-20
By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, and others
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The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome
- By: Gregory S. Aldrete, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
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The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome traces the breathtaking history from the empire’s foundation by Augustus to its Golden Age in the 2nd century CE through a series of ever-worsening crises until its ultimate disintegration. Taught by acclaimed Professor Gregory S. Aldrete of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, these 24 captivating lectures offer you the chance to experience this story like never before, incorporating the latest historical insights that challenge our previous notions of Rome’s decline.
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Gregory S. Aldrete is a treasure
- By Laurel Tucker on 02-04-19
By: Gregory S. Aldrete, and others
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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MAPS NEEDED
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This entertaining companion to the massively popular history podcast tackles everything from Alexander the Great to Agatha Christie, the Wars of the Roses to Watergate—with a unique blend of wit, wisdom, and good old-fashioned banter. Featuring an introduction from podcast hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, this book cleverly demonstrates that the past—from modern to ancient and every time in between—is both closer to us than we might realize and bafflingly strange, all at once.
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Wasn't sure but won me over
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abridged version
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By: Tom Holland
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Ten Caesars
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Best-selling classical historian Barry Strauss tells the story of three-and-a-half centuries of the Roman Empire through the lives of 10 of the most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine.
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Good for beginners
- By Richferguson1 on 03-01-20
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The War That Made the Roman Empire
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Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar, two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir, young Octavian, the future Augustus. When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world, Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra, and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire, another civil war broke out. In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships, almost 200,000 men, and one woman—the Battle of Actium.
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Highly detailed accounts
- By LEE on 03-28-22
By: Barry Strauss
What listeners say about Pax
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ellen
- 10-07-23
Excellent!
Listening to Tom Holland makes you smarter. This was a good one on a fascinating subject.
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- Stacey
- 10-12-23
A living narrative
Tom Holland is delightful. The most shocking and revealing aspect of this book might lie in the dimension of myth. Just as this dimension would have been inseparable from the lives of the Romans, so too is it inseparable from Holland’s telling. Practicalities, power, and politics intermingle with the divine — each directing and guiding the other. In this divine interaction, chronological events begin to Breathe.
I walk away fuller, richer, and glad to have listened. Thank you, Tom!
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- rzlbrk
- 11-03-23
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.
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- William S Grainge
- 06-23-24
Superlative scholarship and dramatic delivery
Tom Holland completes his brilliant trilogy with wonderful character portraits of the emperors who followed Nero. His delivery and deep scholarship show the great love he has for the creation of the Roman Empire and the role it had in creating lasting peace in the West.
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- neale aslett
- 09-21-24
Brilliant work
Thoroughly entertaining, amazing detail and an easy read as with all of his books. A must read/listen.
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- K Frazier
- 10-08-24
the legions
the Emperor's are named and recalled but for the steadfast effort of the legions to dispatch whatever the task set before them
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- Teresa Genty
- 12-13-24
Very engaging! And historically accurate
The hardest part is the names. But I love hearing him trace how the Roman’s people came to be before the time period and changed during the time period.
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- Tom Snader
- 10-18-23
History in a narrative form that keep the reader interested
Myth pervaded my understanding of The Romans. This volume help me understand the reality of times. The expanse of their rule, the strategies of how to maintain it, the corruption, glory, barbarity, and magnitude of the efforts needed and the vulnerability of it all. Unthinkable wealth and material accomplishment beyond any we could expect from their limited tools, machines, technology, and scientific understanding. What is similar to today is the variations in morality, deviousness, corruption, plotting and scheming, honor and duplicity, and lesson upon lesson of what to do and not do to rule an empire in peace and war. So many terms and sayings spring from these times when a vast empire dominated the world and yet how fragile and tenuously that rule was is presented in the narration. The narration is entertaining and sophisticated. One has to wonder how much is speculation and how large the gaps in fact versus guesswork are as the narrative flows as if none exist at all. Worth listening to several times to really grasp the facts but one listening gives the audience a much greater understanding of the time and the many lessons they have for us. Lifts the veils on many of the fairy tale images one may have of that time that will likely never be seen again on earth.
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- Nathan Kniffen
- 12-14-23
Narrative History at its Finest
Tom Holland is a master of narrative history, detailing the events of Ancient Rome with the same drama and intrigue as could be expected in a thriller novel. Rubicon and Dynasty (his previous two books on Rome) are both great but Pax may be my favorite out of the three. Holland’s sophisticated prose and diction are present as ever here but the overall narrative is easier to follow. Unlike Rubicon and Dynasty, however, he narrates his own work in Pax. Initially I was speculative of the result as his voice doesn’t carry quite the gravitas of his past narrators. However, his enunciation is clear and his infliction is subtly engaging—even when listening at 2X narration speed. Ultimately, I came to enjoy this book even more by hearing Holland himself tell the story of Pax Romana. A fine addition to any history enthusiast’s library.
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- Ricardo Raùl Salazar-Rey
- 01-01-24
Storytelling
The Roman’s always win. Tom Holland is an incredible Weaver of primary sources. Part of a three part series, but does not seem limited or incomplete. 
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