Really engaging and clearly written overview of the history of the Roman Empire, often giving the perspective of the individual soldiers, tribesmen and Roman administrators throughout the empire. Strongly recommended. ( )

this book has a lot of information. It's not an easy read if you are new to Roman history. I found myself looking up info several times, but I'm now a smarter person for doing so....I think. :) ( )

My kind of history book. Discussing the history of Romans running their empire in the context of their relationships with conquered people. Well structured, no pointless dates or minutiae.

The one annoying bit are the constant apologies on behalf of Romans and people in the past in general. Why does the author have to explain that violence is bad and he doesn't condone it? It's really sad that historians nowadays have to so afraid writing books about history. Being a historian in the west today is almost like being a historian in China. You have to be very careful writing about the past. Especially about the facts - these are most dangerous. ( )

As always, a thorough and well researched study of ancient Rome. I personally did not find the topic as compelling as certain prior works, such as the biography of Caesar (in fairness few subjects match Caesar for interest level) - nonetheless this was a highly informative analysis of a topic rarely studied.

Given the nature of the subject, this work covers a huge swath of time, spanning from the end of the republic until the latter imperial era. Nonetheless, the author does his best to keep the narrative flowing by incorporating many concepts and supporting examples throughout the centuries.

Mr. Goldsworthy always presents his material objectively, devoid of ideology or personal bias. I recommend this book both novices and those with a firm background in the Republican or Imperial periods. ( )