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    In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
    In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
    In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
    Audiobook17 hours

    In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire

    Written by Adrian Goldsworthy

    Narrated by Derek Perkins

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Adrian Goldsworthy has received wide acclaim for his exceptional writing on the Roman Empire-including high praise from the acclaimed military historian and author John Keegan-and here he offers a new perspective on the Empire by focusing on its greatest generals, including Scipio Africanus, Marius, Pompey, Caesar, and Titus. Each chapter paints a fascinating portrait of a single general, offering in-depth insight into his leadership skills and victories, as well as each one's pioneering strategies, many of which are still used today. In the process, this absorbing, accessible history tells the complete story of Roman warfare, from the bitter struggle with Carthage in the 3rd century BC to the last desperate attempt to win back the Western Empire in the 6th century AD.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 23, 2016
    ISBN9781515972457
    In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
    Author

    Adrian Goldsworthy

    Adrian Goldsworthy's doctoral thesis formed the basis for his first book, The Roman Army at War 100 BC–AD 200 (OUP, 1996), and his research has focused on aspects of warfare in the Graeco-Roman world. He is the bestselling author of many ancient world titles, including both military history and historical novels. He also consults on historical documentaries for the History Channel, National Geographic, and the BBC. Adrian Goldsworthy studied at Oxford, where his doctoral thesis examined the Roman army. He went on to become an acclaimed historian of Ancient Rome. He is the author of numerous works of non-fiction, including Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors, Caesar, The Fall of the West, Pax Romana and Hadrian's Wall.

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    Reviews for In the Name of Rome

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    • 5/5
      If you like Roman history and warfare, read this book. Simple.
    • 4/5
      This was an outstanding book covering the military history of Ancient Rome through its greatest figures. I do not have a deep historical knowledge of this time period, but am slowly starting to fill in the gaps. This book was outstanding in the sense that it acted as a military (and in many ways political) survey of Roman history. I particularly enjoyed the chapters dealing with Pompey and Caesar, but also Scipio Africanus and his dealings with Hannibal of Carthage. It seems that I should know more about these people as a person who makes a living teaching history.

      I imagine this book would have been 5 stars for me if I had a better knowledge of the historical time period. Since I did not, it was at times difficult to get excited about figures and peopled I did not really know anything about. That is my shortcoming and certainly not the author's.
    • 5/5
      "The personality of the general is indispensable. He is the head, he is the all of an army. The Gaul’s were not conquered by the Roman Legions but by Caesar. It was not before the Carthaginian soldier that Rome was made to tremble, but before Hannibal. It was not the Macedonian phalanx that penetrated India but Alexander. Prussia was not defended for seven years against the three most formidable European powers by Prussian soldiers but by Frederick the Great."
      -Napoleon Bonaparte

      In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire brings to life the stories of an array of characters from Roman history, from the most famous generals like Julius Caesar to some less well-known ones like Corbulo. The author talks about 15 Roman generals, consuls and emperors who rose up when Rome needed them the most to defend itself against external threats or conquer new lands and expand its frontiers.

      With each person having just a single chapter's worth of content about their military or political achievements, we don't get too many details about other aspects of their lives. This might make it a little dry for some people, but Adrian Goldsworthy still does an extremely good job of putting these stories together and providing continuity between the chapters. Since all the historical figures here are discussed in chronological order, you can see the history of Rome unfold in the background of all these characters, from chapter to chapter, from the Punic Wars to the Byzantine empire. This really adds value to the book because you can look at how the circumstances of each of the people described here were different from those of their predecessors.

      In total, this book does a really good job talking about some of the most important generals in Roman history and I would recommend this to anybody who is interested in Roman history or military history.
    • 4/5
      Mr. Goldsworthy is the best modern author as regards ancient Roman history. His work on Julius Caesar is the definitive biography- wonderfully written and comprehensively researched. In the Name of Rome is also an excellent work covering various generals throughout the Republic and Imperial eras. Each chapter discusses a different leader by presenting background information for context and details of a particular campaign. Once again, the author's writing style is very readable.
    • 5/5
      In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire takes us through the Roman Republic and Empire, introducing generals and commanders that left a mark on history. From Cincinnatus saving the early Republic, to why Pompey earned the sobriquet "The Great" even though he was the celebrated loser of a civil war against Julius Caesar, to Germanicus, Trajan, Hadrian and other champions of the empire, Roman historian Adrian Goldsworthy hits most of them in this sweeping narrative. My only complaint is that some of these commanders led such extraordinary careers as to be the subjects of many books just on themselves -- this overview is necessarily brief and having read more detailed biographies on many of these generals, seems a little incomplete. But this is an enjoyable read for anyone with casual interest on the subject.
    • 4/5
      Goldsworthy's book is informative, entertaining, comprehensive and thoroughly researched - it's a shame I can't think of many people who would enjoy it.In 16 chapters he covers Roman Generals from Fabius to the fall of Rome in the east, and finds plenty of space to outline the major political and social changes, as well as detailed descriptions of the major battles and campaigns, all referenced with discussions of the various sources, where appropriate. It's a concise summary of what I imagine must represent years of scholarship.The middle chapters, probably the most familiar to the general audience (and the reason I bought the book) cover Marius, Pompey and Caesar, but I was particularly taken with one of the later chapters covering Trajan's conquest of Dacia, which used descriptions of the inscriptions on Trajan's column in Rome. Goldsworthy does a great job of piecing together a readable narrative from what we can reconstruct, whilst at the same time maintaining an academic tone and not degenerating into speculative storytelling.The breadth of material covered means the reader sometimes has to work a little hard to keep up. New names of legions, notable figures, and places were introduced often enough that I found myself keeping google open while I read. Goldworthy's determination to cover all relevant material 30 page chapters makes me wonder whether someone new to the subject matter would enjoy reading it, or whether too much information is presented, too quickly. Goldsworthy makes clear in the introduction that he didn't intend a general recipe book for military success, even less so a guide for those seeking a Roman road to leadership quality. It's a little too broad in approach to appeal to those seeking academic insights. For people like me, who have a rusty memory of a university course taken years ago, it's perfect. I just hope there are enough people who fit into this category to make sure Goldsworthy's books continue to be a commercial success.
    • 4/5
      A very odd book really, Roman history told via the battles of fifteen of its greatest generals. I enjoyed it immensely, but there's a lot of repetition because of the fragmentary nature of the historical records. I think the politics of Rome come through much more strongly than does the composition and ordering of the military. Highly recommended none the less.
    • 4/5
      An interesting selection of military figures. Each biography is situated with in the changes that defined the Roman military. For example the chapter on the Emperor Julian also describes the declining importance of Rome as a political centre as the making and unmaking of emperors shifts to the army. This makes the process of obtaining the purple much easier, but as a consequence harder to retain as military units tended to back claimants that they felt would reward them.Absolutely absorbing.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! I ended up buying more of his books because of it. The Romans are fascinating from a military standpoint. This book did not bore me like Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" did. This is my favorite book on the Romans without a doubt.