How Rome Fell

Death of a Superpower

By: Adrian Goldsworthy

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

In AD 200, the Roman Empire seemed unassailable, its vast territory accounting for most of the known world. By the end of the fifth century, Roman rule had vanished in Western Europe and much of northern Africa, and only a shrunken Eastern Empire remained. This was a period of remarkable personalities, from the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius to emperors like Diocletian, who portrayed themselves as tough, even brutal, soldiers. It was a time of revolutionary ideas, especially in religion, as Christianity went from persecuted sect to the religion of state and emperors. Ultimately, this is the story of how an empire without a serious rival rotted from within, its rulers and institutions putting short-term ambition and personal survival over the greater good of the state.

©2009 Adrian Goldsworthy (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This richly rewarding work will serve as an introduction to Roman history, but will also provide plenty of depth to satisfy the educated reader." ( Publishers Weekly)

another great work from Adrian goldsworthy

this is my third work of nonfiction by Adrian goldsworthy that I've read this year. All of his books have been very rewarding. I even enjoyed his new novel. is biographies of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar are must-reads, too.

Adrian Goldsworthy continues to entertain.

After listening to and enjoying Goldsworthy's biography on the life of Augustus I decided to give this a try and I was surprised at how enthralled I was. It covers a period that I hadn't truly ever paid much attention to in the grand scheme of Roman history and it's written in an almost story format that kept me coming back for more.

Vast Book for a Vast Subject

I'm no historian, but this book goes pretty deep (or deep enough for me), to explain the complexity of the late western Roman Empire, and some of the many elements that contributed to its eventual downfall. Anyone who tells you that Rome fell because of one thing, should get some serious side eye. It's a really great and detailed book. I often found myself toggling to Wikipedia to find out more about emperors, generals, leaders of Persia, various gothic tribes and a lot more.
Perkins is great, as usual.
Definitely recommend.

Wonderful Story Teller

A very informative history of the Roman Empire from Augustus past the fall of the Western Empire in 476 thru Justinian! (A nice surprise!) It is truly amazing that the Western Empire lasted as long as it did thru numerous & almost constant civil wars!

Very thorough and comprehensive

This is an understandable but very complete account of the military and political history of Rome from around the time of Christ until well into the sixth century. Periodically other aspects of the empire such as architecture, rural life, and religious matters are mentioned. The author emphasizes the fact that civil wars contributed as much to the fall of the empire as Gothic and other invasions. The only slight change I would like to see is a frank and honest inclusion of certain very famous Christian events, such as the details of the Council of Nicaea, and a realistic description of the meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila. Regarding the latter, the author claims that, rather than being influenced by Leo’s powerful and inspirational speech, the kindly Hun turned back from attacking Rome because he wanted his tired troops to be able spend time with their families in Eastern Europe. Right.

Fascinating

The book details several centuries of change in the Roman Empire, telling the story in new and interesting ways. Summary: It’s not what you thought.

The tragic story of the fall of a great empire

What made the experience of listening to How Rome Fell the most enjoyable?

How comprehensive the story was. It began before Commodus and went past 476. This emphasized how the fall was not in a vacuum nor was it necessarily a true, catastrophic collapse.

What did you like best about this story?

It continually emphasized the facts instead of wide held societal beliefs. Each supposed cause of the fall of the Roman empire was examined and preconceived notions where attacked and discarded. It is very balanced and reasonable.

What does Derek Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

As with all my reviews of his work, he is an excellent narrator who can really bring the story to life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

They said it was un-filmable, and they where right

Any additional comments?

If you want a general overview of the narrative and potential causes of Rome's dissolution, this is an excellent source

Deep and Contextual

Narrator was superb. Very thorough references to Imperial Rome and a contextual guide to how the Empire fell.

Excellent Book!

Complete and detailed history of the late Roman Empire that is well written. The narration is excellent and the author does an excellent job summarizing the causes and reasons for the fall of the empire and its comparison to present day global powers.

Applicable to modern times?

Well researched and chronological story of why Rome was doomed. I bought this because I wanted to glean something about modern day civilizations (or empires if you prefer), which the author addresses re: the British Empire. My interest is a little west of that, and centered in North America. The reasons for the downfall are unfortunately mostly truisms, but still illuminating story of one of the more consequential civilizations in European history. Will American Civilization someday fall? Yes, but who knows what will follow, after all England is still around.