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A review by davehershey
How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower by Adrian Goldsworthy
4.0
Goldsworthy picks up the story of the Roman Empire at the end of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the five good emperors. In order to tell the best story of how Rome fell, the best place to start is when Rome is at its height. He then takes us through the tumultuous time from 235-284 when emperor after emperor reigned for short times. Of course Diocletian and Constantine get their screentime before moving to the end of the west in the 400s and finishing the story with the east about to face the rise of Islam.
So why did Rome fall? Goldsworthy emphasizes the internal problems of continuous civil war. It was not repeated barbarian invasions that brought Rome to her knees, for even late in the game Rome could beat back the barbarians if they wanted to. By "wanted to" you might substitute "able to put together a united front". Unfortunately they fought themselves over and over which weakened them, eventually beyond the point of no return.
I definitely want to read more of Goldsworthy's works now. For any fan of Roman history, this is a great read.
So why did Rome fall? Goldsworthy emphasizes the internal problems of continuous civil war. It was not repeated barbarian invasions that brought Rome to her knees, for even late in the game Rome could beat back the barbarians if they wanted to. By "wanted to" you might substitute "able to put together a united front". Unfortunately they fought themselves over and over which weakened them, eventually beyond the point of no return.
I definitely want to read more of Goldsworthy's works now. For any fan of Roman history, this is a great read.