Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age

Hardcover, 480 pages

Published Oct. 9, 2023 by Basic Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-465-09353-3

(1 review)

The Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen.

Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empire in all its predatory glory. Vivid scene follows vivid scene: 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 demonstrates how Roman peace was the fruit of unprecedented military violence. …

The Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen.

Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empire in all its predatory glory. Vivid scene follows vivid scene: 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 demonstrates how 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.

3 editions

matthewmincher reviewed Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age by Tom Holland

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3 stars

I picked this up pretty randomly and I wonder whether I lost out a bit by not reading the first two books. On the surface, I didn't feel like I did - but I might go back and check those out.

This was quite dense, but I found the second half flowed more smoothly. It covers a few significant events, and "high points" for me were Pompeii, Hadrian's wall, and his narrative of Domitian's reign.

I do think it was a little bit flat, and at the start I wasn't sure if it was for me. I'd definitely recommend maybe checking out other shorter introductory books to appreciate this one more. I struggled with a lot of the names (especially via audio - so much Caesar)