History as it should be written. , 09 May 2008
Ward-Perkins makes his case (that the Fall of Rome really was an epochal catastrophe) so concisely and elegantly, and without any loss of detail or academic rigour, that it shames many an academic historian whose works are heavy going, even for other historians. The seamless interweaving of documentary and archaeological evidence, the graphics and clear pursuit of a particular historiographical view and its relvance to us today - leavened by occasional donnish humour - make this an easy read.

Particularly interesting to read this alongside Peter Heather's (another Oxford historian) book on the Fall of Rome, coincidentally published around the same time but taking a different angle.



Not quite., 26 Mar 2008
Mr. Perkins is a arqueologist who writes a book on history (for those who d'ont know history studies documents and archaeology studies objects). The result is not convincing: the work is not properly suported by document research and the archaeology part seams to be resumed to pottery finding.
The author contradits himself often. At one point he says that the empire was still quite strong on the V century only to further on saying that lack of money resulted on a diminished and weakened army. Another example: the author compares the roman economy to the west's XX century one; but then he goes on to compare it with the soviet one - the second is defendable; the first is absurd.
Mr Perkins has a soft spot for the romans wich I share with him. But that doesn't stop me from recognising their weaknesses: it was extremely centralised, the governement being responsable for most economic activity wich resulted on a lack of enterprise (remember that a large part of the population was enslaved and that roman citizens did not look well on business entrepreneurship). All this resulted on lack of flexibility to meet the financial crisis of the III and V centuries.
Rome did us the favour of falling at the right moment. And it was the political fragmentation that followed that created the basis for the competition that made europe great.

Elegant and readable introduction to a complex period, 21 Feb 2008
This concise and elegantly written little book makes an excellent introduction to more detailed analyses of a complex period. Ward-Perkins views are trenchant, logical, well-argued and even witty; he refuses to toe the politically correct line which would have us evaluate a crude hand built pot at the same level as Samian ware... the picture he paints of the period between the Roman Empire and the re-emergence of a literate civilisation restores most convincingly the congency of the concept of the Dark Ages.

I recently visited Venice to see the wonderful 'Rome and the Barbarians' exhibition, and it is significant that the monograph discussion of this period in the catalogue raisonne refers to this book several times with high praise.

One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich, 16 Aug 2007
Professor Ward-Perkins has done an interesting, if short, book on a majestic theme - the fall of one of history's greatest empires, and its aftermath.

His main concern is to debunk a notion, apparently fashionable among historians, which I'm not sure many other people ever shared - the idea that the Fall of Rome wasn't such a big deal. Apparently, there is an historical school which regards the whole business as a mostly peaceful transition from the tail end of the Ancient World into the beginning of Medieval Europe. He collects an impressive pile of evidence that it was far from peaceful, and was indeed pretty catastrophic for many of those who had to live through it. Roman civilisation did not die of natural causes. It was killed, and mainly by the military force of the Barbarians.

Well, so far, so good. I doubt if the inhabitants of Italy, Gaul and Spain, who spent most of the years from 405 to 420 having one set of barbarians after another marching and counter-marching all over their homelands, would have any trouble agreeing with Ward-Perkins. Over the next couple of centuries many others would have cause to feel the same way. Nor was this temporary. For several centuries more, comforts that the Romans took for granted would become available only to a tiny few, and sometimes not at all. Pottery making virtually died out in Britain until about 700, tiled roofs, previously common, were little-known in the Middle Ages, and even coinage gave way to barter over wide areas. In short, standards of living, as usually measured, took a prolonged nosedive.

And yet - -. This is all very well, but if the Empire's fall was such a terrible loss to those who lived in it, how come it was never restored? The Chinese Empire "fell" lots of times, but was always rebuilt. When Rome fell, it stayed fallen, and its people seem to have soon become reconciled to doing without it.

Nor can the Barbarians be held solely responsible for what happened. In Asia Minor, which was virtually untouched by barbarian invasion, Colin McEvedy's "New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History" shows four cities - Ephesus, Miletus, Sardis, Smyrna - of between 15,000 and 50,000 people in AD 528. On the map for AD737, not one of them remains. Here at least, the Barbarians were not to blame for the decline, and other factors need to be considered.

At times, Ward-Perkins himself gives significant hints at this. He quotes ancient sources to the effect that, during Alaric's siege of Rome in 408/9, "almost all the slaves that were in Rome poured out of the city to join the Barbarians". And nine years earlier, when the rebel general Tribigild marched across Asia Minor, then a peaceful and prosperous region, his force was soon swelled by "such a mass of slaves and outcasts that the whole of Asia was in great danger, while Lydia was in utter confusion, with almost everyone fleeing to the coast and sailing across to the islands or elsewhere with their whole families". Clearly not all the Empire's subjects loved it.

But perhaps the most revealing incident is from 393, when "the Roman aristocrat Symmachus brought a group of Saxon prisoners to Rome, intending them to slaughter each other in gladiatorial games in honour of his son. However, before they were publicly exhibited twenty-nine of them committed suicide by the only means available to them - by strangling each other with their bare hands! For us, their terrible death represents a courageous act of defiance, but Symmachus viewed their suicide as the action of "a group of men viler than Spartacus", which had been sent to test him. With the self-satisfaction of which only Roman aristocrats were capable, he compared his own philosophical response to the event to the calm of Socrates when faced with adversity."

If Symmachus was at all representative of its ruling class, one can easily get an inkling of why the Empire failed, and see why not only the Barbarians, but many of its own less privileged subjects, might not have been sorry to see it go. One man's civilisation can all too easily be another man's "Third Reich", and one may suspect that many were ready enough to try and get along without the Roman State, even if it did mean having to make their own pottery.

Pottery is fun!, 23 Mar 2007
Don't be put off, as I initially was, by the technical illustrations and discussions of pottery types that at first sight may make this look like the drier kind of archaelogical textbook. It is in fact a witty and stimulating exposition, with skilfull deployment of supporting evidence of both "hard" and "soft" varieties, of the view that the end of the Roman Empire was indeed a violent, traumatic and destructive episode. His view can be summed up as being if it looks like a collapse, sounds like a collapse and feels like a collapse then that is exactly what it is. Seems fair enough to me!

This is not, nor does it claim to be, an in-depth examination of why the Empire fell or a narrative of that fall. Instead, it is an attempt, in my view a successful one, to show that this was indeed a "fall" and not just a transformation or transition from one form of society to another. Despite some of the hype around the book, at least going by the description on the back of the paperback version, I am not sure that this view ever really went away although recent years have undoubtedly seen a strengthening of the contrary view that it was essentially a largely peaceful "transformation".

I found particularly interesting Ward-Perkins' use, of evidence like the aforementioned pottery, to show that the end of the Empire was manifested not just through the immediate and obvious impact of large numbers of greedy warriors with big swords taking over the land, but the resultant loss of links between the various parts of the Empire and thus of the flows of goods and services that enabled the Roman civilization to flourish.

This is not to say that Ward-Perkins denies that the "barbarians" were incapable of any positive achievements. Clearly they were so capable, and he admits as much. But what clearly emerges is a picture of a sophisticated and reasonably comfortable civilization falling into an abyss, admittedly deeper in some places than others, from which it took centuries to recover. (Try Alfred Duggan's "The Little Emperors" for a fictional, and to my mind very effective, treatment of what this must have fet like to those living through it.)

History as it should be written. , 09 May 2008
Ward-Perkins makes his case (that the Fall of Rome really was an epochal catastrophe) so concisely and elegantly, and without any loss of detail or academic rigour, that it shames many an academic historian whose works are heavy going, even for other historians. The seamless interweaving of documentary and archaeological evidence, the graphics and clear pursuit of a particular historiographical view and its relvance to us today - leavened by occasional donnish humour - make this an easy read.

Particularly interesting to read this alongside Peter Heather's (another Oxford historian) book on the Fall of Rome, coincidentally published around the same time but taking a different angle.



Not quite., 26 Mar 2008
Mr. Perkins is a arqueologist who writes a book on history (for those who d'ont know history studies documents and archaeology studies objects). The result is not convincing: the work is not properly suported by document research and the archaeology part seams to be resumed to pottery finding.
The author contradits himself often. At one point he says that the empire was still quite strong on the V century only to further on saying that lack of money resulted on a diminished and weakened army. Another example: the author compares the roman economy to the west's XX century one; but then he goes on to compare it with the soviet one - the second is defendable; the first is absurd.
Mr Perkins has a soft spot for the romans wich I share with him. But that doesn't stop me from recognising their weaknesses: it was extremely centralised, the governement being responsable for most economic activity wich resulted on a lack of enterprise (remember that a large part of the population was enslaved and that roman citizens did not look well on business entrepreneurship). All this resulted on lack of flexibility to meet the financial crisis of the III and V centuries.
Rome did us the favour of falling at the right moment. And it was the political fragmentation that followed that created the basis for the competition that made europe great.

Elegant and readable introduction to a complex period, 21 Feb 2008
This concise and elegantly written little book makes an excellent introduction to more detailed analyses of a complex period. Ward-Perkins views are trenchant, logical, well-argued and even witty; he refuses to toe the politically correct line which would have us evaluate a crude hand built pot at the same level as Samian ware... the picture he paints of the period between the Roman Empire and the re-emergence of a literate civilisation restores most convincingly the congency of the concept of the Dark Ages.

I recently visited Venice to see the wonderful 'Rome and the Barbarians' exhibition, and it is significant that the monograph discussion of this period in the catalogue raisonne refers to this book several times with high praise.

One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich, 16 Aug 2007
Professor Ward-Perkins has done an interesting, if short, book on a majestic theme - the fall of one of history's greatest empires, and its aftermath.

His main concern is to debunk a notion, apparently fashionable among historians, which I'm not sure many other people ever shared - the idea that the Fall of Rome wasn't such a big deal. Apparently, there is an historical school which regards the whole business as a mostly peaceful transition from the tail end of the Ancient World into the beginning of Medieval Europe. He collects an impressive pile of evidence that it was far from peaceful, and was indeed pretty catastrophic for many of those who had to live through it. Roman civilisation did not die of natural causes. It was killed, and mainly by the military force of the Barbarians.

Well, so far, so good. I doubt if the inhabitants of Italy, Gaul and Spain, who spent most of the years from 405 to 420 having one set of barbarians after another marching and counter-marching all over their homelands, would have any trouble agreeing with Ward-Perkins. Over the next couple of centuries many others would have cause to feel the same way. Nor was this temporary. For several centuries more, comforts that the Romans took for granted would become available only to a tiny few, and sometimes not at all. Pottery making virtually died out in Britain until about 700, tiled roofs, previously common, were little-known in the Middle Ages, and even coinage gave way to barter over wide areas. In short, standards of living, as usually measured, took a prolonged nosedive.

And yet - -. This is all very well, but if the Empire's fall was such a terrible loss to those who lived in it, how come it was never restored? The Chinese Empire "fell" lots of times, but was always rebuilt. When Rome fell, it stayed fallen, and its people seem to have soon become reconciled to doing without it.

Nor can the Barbarians be held solely responsible for what happened. In Asia Minor, which was virtually untouched by barbarian invasion, Colin McEvedy's "New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History" shows four cities - Ephesus, Miletus, Sardis, Smyrna - of between 15,000 and 50,000 people in AD 528. On the map for AD737, not one of them remains. Here at least, the Barbarians were not to blame for the decline, and other factors need to be considered.

At times, Ward-Perkins himself gives significant hints at this. He quotes ancient sources to the effect that, during Alaric's siege of Rome in 408/9, "almost all the slaves that were in Rome poured out of the city to join the Barbarians". And nine years earlier, when the rebel general Tribigild marched across Asia Minor, then a peaceful and prosperous region, his force was soon swelled by "such a mass of slaves and outcasts that the whole of Asia was in great danger, while Lydia was in utter confusion, with almost everyone fleeing to the coast and sailing across to the islands or elsewhere with their whole families". Clearly not all the Empire's subjects loved it.

But perhaps the most revealing incident is from 393, when "the Roman aristocrat Symmachus brought a group of Saxon prisoners to Rome, intending them to slaughter each other in gladiatorial games in honour of his son. However, before they were publicly exhibited twenty-nine of them committed suicide by the only means available to them - by strangling each other with their bare hands! For us, their terrible death represents a courageous act of defiance, but Symmachus viewed their suicide as the action of "a group of men viler than Spartacus", which had been sent to test him. With the self-satisfaction of which only Roman aristocrats were capable, he compared his own philosophical response to the event to the calm of Socrates when faced with adversity."

If Symmachus was at all representative of its ruling class, one can easily get an inkling of why the Empire failed, and see why not only the Barbarians, but many of its own less privileged subjects, might not have been sorry to see it go. One man's civilisation can all too easily be another man's "Third Reich", and one may suspect that many were ready enough to try and get along without the Roman State, even if it did mean having to make their own pottery.

Pottery is fun!, 23 Mar 2007
Don't be put off, as I initially was, by the technical illustrations and discussions of pottery types that at first sight may make this look like the drier kind of archaelogical textbook. It is in fact a witty and stimulating exposition, with skilfull deployment of supporting evidence of both "hard" and "soft" varieties, of the view that the end of the Roman Empire was indeed a violent, traumatic and destructive episode. His view can be summed up as being if it looks like a collapse, sounds like a collapse and feels like a collapse then that is exactly what it is. Seems fair enough to me!

This is not, nor does it claim to be, an in-depth examination of why the Empire fell or a narrative of that fall. Instead, it is an attempt, in my view a successful one, to show that this was indeed a "fall" and not just a transformation or transition from one form of society to another. Despite some of the hype around the book, at least going by the description on the back of the paperback version, I am not sure that this view ever really went away although recent years have undoubtedly seen a strengthening of the contrary view that it was essentially a largely peaceful "transformation".

I found particularly interesting Ward-Perkins' use, of evidence like the aforementioned pottery, to show that the end of the Empire was manifested not just through the immediate and obvious impact of large numbers of greedy warriors with big swords taking over the land, but the resultant loss of links between the various parts of the Empire and thus of the flows of goods and services that enabled the Roman civilization to flourish.

This is not to say that Ward-Perkins denies that the "barbarians" were incapable of any positive achievements. Clearly they were so capable, and he admits as much. But what clearly emerges is a picture of a sophisticated and reasonably comfortable civilization falling into an abyss, admittedly deeper in some places than others, from which it took centuries to recover. (Try Alfred Duggan's "The Little Emperors" for a fictional, and to my mind very effective, treatment of what this must have fet like to those living through it.)

Invaluable as a Reference Book, 19 May 2008
For anyone with even a passing interest in Roman history this book is an invaluable source of knowledge about the Roman Emperor's. Personally it helps to set the scene for me even if the book is a work of fiction if I can pin point the period of Roman history that is being written about and knowing what emperor was reigning in Rome and in what years is a sure fire way of pin-pointing the period in which the book is written.

Of course the book is so much more than a time scale of Roman history, there is also information regarding what wars if any were fought during a particular emperor's reign and what Roman building were attributable to any given emperor. The book covers the succession of 80 emperors, with biographical portraits of the 56 most notable ones. Names that leap out from the pages of the history books, Julius Caesar, Hadrian, Nero, all names to conjure with.

There are contemporary judgements made by writers of the time including Suetonius and Tacitus and these are balanced by character assessments made in the light of modern research. This is a book that is well worth having, not only for its reference capabilities but also it is a good read in its own right.

Rome's Emperors, 27 Mar 2008
This book is easily the most accessible and readable title on the Roman Emperors. It provides short biographies of the rulers of Rome from Augustus Caesar in 30 BC, right through to the fall of the Western Empire and the reign of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476.

The book is really well illustrated, with plenty of photographs of busts, coins and cameos, giving you an idea of the apperance of each emperor. The book also contains a few colour illustrations showing the architecture of the Imperial Palaces or the Colosseum. There are 328 illustrations, 111 of which are in colour.

What makes this book a worthy purchase is the sheer wealth of facts on each page. For instance, there is an addition of a timeline - This allows you to put the lives of the Emperors into the context of the period. The addition of family trees, information tables on the titles and achievements of each emperor and the addition of colour maps give you an even greater appreciation of the book. This title also has several sections which look at the art and architecture of the Roman Empire, from the Colosseum to Trajan's column, the city of Palmyra and the Palace of Diocletian and much, much more.

What I found very interesting were the biographies on the lesser known emperors, such as Florianus, Tacitus, Probus and Gordian III. These are rarely mentioned in history books, so it was great to read about these murky figures along with the biographies of more famous figures such as Augustus, Nero and Caligula.

My only complaint is that the later Roman emperors are not significantly covered. All the rulers from Constantine I onward are mentioned in just under eight pages. This is a shame as there were genuinely interesting figures from this period, including Julian the Apostate, Honorius, Theodosius the Great and Valens. It's a bit of a missed opportunity considering that some lesser emperors are given much more space, even if they only ruled for a few weeks.

Despite this small flaw, the book deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Ancient Rome or Classical Civilisation.

The roman emperors, 26 Aug 2004
First of all this is one of the best books you can get for this subject, in terms being accurate and straight to the point, giving plenty of detail and not over doing it. This then not only makes it a exciting and educational read but also makes it a good reference guide. All in all ane of the best book on the roman emperors you can get. An excelent job.

The Emperors: A complete chronology, 28 Apr 2003
I had looked forward to receiving this book eagerly and in no way did it disappoint. Scarre's analysis goes into intricate depth and his ability to question the biases of some of the historians of the day is something which he can take real credit for.
Starting with Augustus, you journey through the ups and downs of the Roman Empire in startling detail, comprehensive accounts are given of each Emperor and dynasty, right through to the 5th century AD.
From this we are easily able to understand each Emperor at an individual level. Those that greatly forwarded the fortunes of the empire, the forgotten Emperors who ruled only briefly as well as the monsters and megalomaniacs!
I found this to be a thoroughly informative and gripping account.

A polished pageant of Rome's Emperors, 27 May 2000
Dr. Scarre has written an excellent review of the lives of the most powerful men of Imperial Rome. Chronologically, with linking time lines he introduces the reader to the men behind the torsos and coins which are often all that is left of their reign. The illustrations are well chosen and relevant to each subject and I particularly liked the contemporaneous quotes and the way they are explained in context. The book is well laid out and suitable for simply reading through or for reference. The prose is scholarly and accessible. The book has a useful bibliography for those that want to take their interest further. In these days of computers and easy travel, I would like to have seen a list of website addresses of museums relevant to the subjects and some maps linked to each emperor indicating archeological sites where they had left their mark. Could this be the next book? Highly recommended.

History as it should be written. , 09 May 2008
Ward-Perkins makes his case (that the Fall of Rome really was an epochal catastrophe) so concisely and elegantly, and without any loss of detail or academic rigour, that it shames many an academic historian whose works are heavy going, even for other historians. The seamless interweaving of documentary and archaeological evidence, the graphics and clear pursuit of a particular historiographical view and its relvance to us today - leavened by occasional donnish humour - make this an easy read.

Particularly interesting to read this alongside Peter Heather's (another Oxford historian) book on the Fall of Rome, coincidentally published around the same time but taking a different angle.



Not quite., 26 Mar 2008
Mr. Perkins is a arqueologist who writes a book on history (for those who d'ont know history studies documents and archaeology studies objects). The result is not convincing: the work is not properly suported by document research and the archaeology part seams to be resumed to pottery finding.
The author contradits himself often. At one point he says that the empire was still quite strong on the V century only to further on saying that lack of money resulted on a diminished and weakened army. Another example: the author compares the roman economy to the west's XX century one; but then he goes on to compare it with the soviet one - the second is defendable; the first is absurd.
Mr Perkins has a soft spot for the romans wich I share with him. But that doesn't stop me from recognising their weaknesses: it was extremely centralised, the governement being responsable for most economic activity wich resulted on a lack of enterprise (remember that a large part of the population was enslaved and that roman citizens did not look well on business entrepreneurship). All this resulted on lack of flexibility to meet the financial crisis of the III and V centuries.
Rome did us the favour of falling at the right moment. And it was the political fragmentation that followed that created the basis for the competition that made europe great.

Elegant and readable introduction to a complex period, 21 Feb 2008
This concise and elegantly written little book makes an excellent introduction to more detailed analyses of a complex period. Ward-Perkins views are trenchant, logical, well-argued and even witty; he refuses to toe the politically correct line which would have us evaluate a crude hand built pot at the same level as Samian ware... the picture he paints of the period between the Roman Empire and the re-emergence of a literate civilisation restores most convincingly the congency of the concept of the Dark Ages.

I recently visited Venice to see the wonderful 'Rome and the Barbarians' exhibition, and it is significant that the monograph discussion of this period in the catalogue raisonne refers to this book several times with high praise.

One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich, 16 Aug 2007
Professor Ward-Perkins has done an interesting, if short, book on a majestic theme - the fall of one of history's greatest empires, and its aftermath.

His main concern is to debunk a notion, apparently fashionable among historians, which I'm not sure many other people ever shared - the idea that the Fall of Rome wasn't such a big deal. Apparently, there is an historical school which regards the whole business as a mostly peaceful transition from the tail end of the Ancient World into the beginning of Medieval Europe. He collects an impressive pile of evidence that it was far from peaceful, and was indeed pretty catastrophic for many of those who had to live through it. Roman civilisation did not die of natural causes. It was killed, and mainly by the military force of the Barbarians.

Well, so far, so good. I doubt if the inhabitants of Italy, Gaul and Spain, who spent most of the years from 405 to 420 having one set of barbarians after another marching and counter-marching all over their homelands, would have any trouble agreeing with Ward-Perkins. Over the next couple of centuries many others would have cause to feel the same way. Nor was this temporary. For several centuries more, comforts that the Romans took for granted would become available only to a tiny few, and sometimes not at all. Pottery making virtually died out in Britain until about 700, tiled roofs, previously common, were little-known in the Middle Ages, and even coinage gave way to barter over wide areas. In short, standards of living, as usually measured, took a prolonged nosedive.

And yet - -. This is all very well, but if the Empire's fall was such a terrible loss to those who lived in it, how come it was never restored? The Chinese Empire "fell" lots of times, but was always rebuilt. When Rome fell, it stayed fallen, and its people seem to have soon become reconciled to doing without it.

Nor can the Barbarians be held solely responsible for what happened. In Asia Minor, which was virtually untouched by barbarian invasion, Colin McEvedy's "New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History" shows four cities - Ephesus, Miletus, Sardis, Smyrna - of between 15,000 and 50,000 people in AD 528. On the map for AD737, not one of them remains. Here at least, the Barbarians were not to blame for the decline, and other factors need to be considered.

At times, Ward-Perkins himself gives significant hints at this. He quotes ancient sources to the effect that, during Alaric's siege of Rome in 408/9, "almost all the slaves that were in Rome poured out of the city to join the Barbarians". And nine years earlier, when the rebel general Tribigild marched across Asia Minor, then a peaceful and prosperous region, his force was soon swelled by "such a mass of slaves and outcasts that the whole of Asia was in great danger, while Lydia was in utter confusion, with almost everyone fleeing to the coast and sailing across to the islands or elsewhere with their whole families". Clearly not all the Empire's subjects loved it.

But perhaps the most revealing incident is from 393, when "the Roman aristocrat Symmachus brought a group of Saxon prisoners to Rome, intending them to slaughter each other in gladiatorial games in honour of his son. However, before they were publicly exhibited twenty-nine of them committed suicide by the only means available to them - by strangling each other with their bare hands! For us, their terrible death represents a courageous act of defiance, but Symmachus viewed their suicide as the action of "a group of men viler than Spartacus", which had been sent to test him. With the self-satisfaction of which only Roman aristocrats were capable, he compared his own philosophical response to the event to the calm of Socrates when faced with adversity."

If Symmachus was at all representative of its ruling class, one can easily get an inkling of why the Empire failed, and see why not only the Barbarians, but many of its own less privileged subjects, might not have been sorry to see it go. One man's civilisation can all too easily be another man's "Third Reich", and one may suspect that many were ready enough to try and get along without the Roman State, even if it did mean having to make their own pottery.

Pottery is fun!, 23 Mar 2007
Don't be put off, as I initially was, by the technical illustrations and discussions of pottery types that at first sight may make this look like the drier kind of archaelogical textbook. It is in fact a witty and stimulating exposition, with skilfull deployment of supporting evidence of both "hard" and "soft" varieties, of the view that the end of the Roman Empire was indeed a violent, traumatic and destructive episode. His view can be summed up as being if it looks like a collapse, sounds like a collapse and feels like a collapse then that is exactly what it is. Seems fair enough to me!

This is not, nor does it claim to be, an in-depth examination of why the Empire fell or a narrative of that fall. Instead, it is an attempt, in my view a successful one, to show that this was indeed a "fall" and not just a transformation or transition from one form of society to another. Despite some of the hype around the book, at least going by the description on the back of the paperback version, I am not sure that this view ever really went away although recent years have undoubtedly seen a strengthening of the contrary view that it was essentially a largely peaceful "transformation".

I found particularly interesting Ward-Perkins' use, of evidence like the aforementioned pottery, to show that the end of the Empire was manifested not just through the immediate and obvious impact of large numbers of greedy warriors with big swords taking over the land, but the resultant loss of links between the various parts of the Empire and thus of the flows of goods and services that enabled the Roman civilization to flourish.

This is not to say that Ward-Perkins denies that the "barbarians" were incapable of any positive achievements. Clearly they were so capable, and he admits as much. But what clearly emerges is a picture of a sophisticated and reasonably comfortable civilization falling into an abyss, admittedly deeper in some places than others, from which it took centuries to recover. (Try Alfred Duggan's "The Little Emperors" for a fictional, and to my mind very effective, treatment of what this must have fet like to those living through it.)

Invaluable as a Reference Book, 19 May 2008
For anyone with even a passing interest in Roman history this book is an invaluable source of knowledge about the Roman Emperor's. Personally it helps to set the scene for me even if the book is a work of fiction if I can pin point the period of Roman history that is being written about and knowing what emperor was reigning in Rome and in what years is a sure fire way of pin-pointing the period in which the book is written.

Of course the book is so much more than a time scale of Roman history, there is also information regarding what wars if any were fought during a particular emperor's reign and what Roman building were attributable to any given emperor. The book covers the succession of 80 emperors, with biographical portraits of the 56 most notable ones. Names that leap out from the pages of the history books, Julius Caesar, Hadrian, Nero, all names to conjure with.

There are contemporary judgements made by writers of the time including Suetonius and Tacitus and these are balanced by character assessments made in the light of modern research. This is a book that is well worth having, not only for its reference capabilities but also it is a good read in its own right.

Rome's Emperors, 27 Mar 2008
This book is easily the most accessible and readable title on the Roman Emperors. It provides short biographies of the rulers of Rome from Augustus Caesar in 30 BC, right through to the fall of the Western Empire and the reign of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476.

The book is really well illustrated, with plenty of photographs of busts, coins and cameos, giving you an idea of the apperance of each emperor. The book also contains a few colour illustrations showing the architecture of the Imperial Palaces or the Colosseum. There are 328 illustrations, 111 of which are in colour.

What makes this book a worthy purchase is the sheer wealth of facts on each page. For instance, there is an addition of a timeline - This allows you to put the lives of the Emperors into the context of the period. The addition of family trees, information tables on the titles and achievements of each emperor and the addition of colour maps give you an even greater appreciation of the book. This title also has several sections which look at the art and architecture of the Roman Empire, from the Colosseum to Trajan's column, the city of Palmyra and the Palace of Diocletian and much, much more.

What I found very interesting were the biographies on the lesser known emperors, such as Florianus, Tacitus, Probus and Gordian III. These are rarely mentioned in history books, so it was great to read about these murky figures along with the biographies of more famous figures such as Augustus, Nero and Caligula.

My only complaint is that the later Roman emperors are not significantly covered. All the rulers from Constantine I onward are mentioned in just under eight pages. This is a shame as there were genuinely interesting figures from this period, including Julian the Apostate, Honorius, Theodosius the Great and Valens. It's a bit of a missed opportunity considering that some lesser emperors are given much more space, even if they only ruled for a few weeks.

Despite this small flaw, the book deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Ancient Rome or Classical Civilisation.

The roman emperors, 26 Aug 2004
First of all this is one of the best books you can get for this subject, in terms being accurate and straight to the point, giving plenty of detail and not over doing it. This then not only makes it a exciting and educational read but also makes it a good reference guide. All in all ane of the best book on the roman emperors you can get. An excelent job.

The Emperors: A complete chronology, 28 Apr 2003
I had looked forward to receiving this book eagerly and in no way did it disappoint. Scarre's analysis goes into intricate depth and his ability to question the biases of some of the historians of the day is something which he can take real credit for.
Starting with Augustus, you journey through the ups and downs of the Roman Empire in startling detail, comprehensive accounts are given of each Emperor and dynasty, right through to the 5th century AD.
From this we are easily able to understand each Emperor at an individual level. Those that greatly forwarded the fortunes of the empire, the forgotten Emperors who ruled only briefly as well as the monsters and megalomaniacs!
I found this to be a thoroughly informative and gripping account.

A polished pageant of Rome's Emperors, 27 May 2000
Dr. Scarre has written an excellent review of the lives of the most powerful men of Imperial Rome. Chronologically, with linking time lines he introduces the reader to the men behind the torsos and coins which are often all that is left of their reign. The illustrations are well chosen and relevant to each subject and I particularly liked the contemporaneous quotes and the way they are explained in context. The book is well laid out and suitable for simply reading through or for reference. The prose is scholarly and accessible. The book has a useful bibliography for those that want to take their interest further. In these days of computers and easy travel, I would like to have seen a list of website addresses of museums relevant to the subjects and some maps linked to each emperor indicating archeological sites where they had left their mark. Could this be the next book? Highly recommended.

The beauty of the Parthenon -- and how it was trashed, 01 Feb 2004
One chilly February morning, just as dawn was arriving and the shops and offices were still clad in the cold grey of the fading
night, I saw by the dawn's golden glow the full splendour of the Parthenon floating serenely above the narrow streets of
Athens.

The sun had risen just enough to light the Parthenon. For a moment or so it floated; the Acropolis could have been a cloud
with the Parthenon as a vision of the front door to the home of the gods. It was a perfect metaphor for the reputation of ancient
Athens as a city committed to beauty, elegance, grace and the sensitivity to express artistic values.

Mary Beard has done a superb job in this concise and poignant history, undoubtedly the finest structure of its kind in the
world. The ancients didn't consider it one of the Seven Wonders of the World, they seem to have based their values on
volume instead of quality. Perhaps the Parthenon, even today in its ruined state, should be considered first among the Seven
Beauties of the World.

Her book is a treasure for anyone who has visited the Acropolis; it is essential for anyone who plans to visit Athens and do
more than drink ouzo in some seedy taverna. It's more than a bare-bones history; she recounts the scandals in getting it built,
and the subsequent sins of omission and commission during the past 20 centuries during which this gem was defaced.

Maybe my view is warped because of my first magic view; however, I still regard it as a gift of the gods which mortal humans
have spoiled. Beard doesn't offer any such speculation; instead, she does offer a nuts-and-bolts history of this gem from the
past. That is the strength of her book, she ignores the nonsense and concentrates on facts.

It is also the weakness, in my view. The history is brief but fascinating, but she doesn't understand the psychic importance of
Athena to the Athenians. For a comparison, think of the 'Liberty Enlightening the World' statue in New York harbour and its
significance to all Americans, whether they have seen it or not. Both statues embody the ideals of the society in which they are
displayed; I suggest when you read this book, to keep this comparison in mind to get a full appreciation of just how much each
means to the world.

England, of course, hasn't built a monument since Stonehenge. England builds little statues to honor its heroes; think of the
Albert Memorial. Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is a mere 59 columns short of a full Parthenon. How about the Millenium Dome to celebrate two millennia of ? ? ? In America, the Statue of Liberty wasn't an American idea, it was a gift from France. It's not easy to come up with an artifact that expresses the ideals of a society through time.

The Parthenon is a timeless monument. Regardless of what or how you think of it, this book will add to your understanding,
appreciation and enjoyment. When you think of how many of today's architectural "gems" will still be visited 2,500 years from
now, it gives you an appreciation of what the Athenians accomplished.

Beard tells you how they did it, and then what happened. It's a superb book.

A wonderful book about a wonder of the world, 24 Jan 2004
This book is a delight to read. It tells a fascinating history clearly and in a way that makes you want to read a few more pages before you put it down. It spells out how little we really know about the original uses of the building whilst describing the rich history it has had down the ages. However much you think you know about this building, this book will add to that knowledge. It is not afraid to handle controversial issues such as the Elgin marbles but does so in a fair and even handed way. If you haven’t been to the Parthenon yet this book will make you want to go. If you have been before this book will make you want to go again and look at this iconic building in a new light. Could the writer or publisher have done it better? Well, the quality of photographs is less than we should expect in the digital age. Mary Beard’s excellent text deserves better. I look forward to reading the other volumes in the series.

History as it should be written. , 09 May 2008
Ward-Perkins makes his case (that the Fall of Rome really was an epochal catastrophe) so concisely and elegantly, and without any loss of detail or academic rigour, that it shames many an academic historian whose works are heavy going, even for other historians. The seamless interweaving of documentary and archaeological evidence, the graphics and clear pursuit of a particular historiographical view and its relvance to us today - leavened by occasional donnish humour - make this an easy read.

Particularly interesting to read this alongside Peter Heather's (another Oxford historian) book on the Fall of Rome, coincidentally published around the same time but taking a different angle.



Not quite., 26 Mar 2008
Mr. Perkins is a arqueologist who writes a book on history (for those who d'ont know history studies documents and archaeology studies objects). The result is not convincing: the work is not properly suported by document research and the archaeology part seams to be resumed to pottery finding.
The author contradits himself often. At one point he says that the empire was still quite strong on the V century only to further on saying that lack of money resulted on a diminished and weakened army. Another example: the author compares the roman economy to the west's XX century one; but then he goes on to compare it with the soviet one - the second is defendable; the first is absurd.
Mr Perkins has a soft spot for the romans wich I share with him. But that doesn't stop me from recognising their weaknesses: it was extremely centralised, the governement being responsable for most economic activity wich resulted on a lack of enterprise (remember that a large part of the population was enslaved and that roman citizens did not look well on business entrepreneurship). All this resulted on lack of flexibility to meet the financial crisis of the III and V centuries.
Rome did us the favour of falling at the right moment. And it was the political fragmentation that followed that created the basis for the competition that made europe great.

Elegant and readable introduction to a complex period, 21 Feb 2008
This concise and elegantly written little book makes an excellent introduction to more detailed analyses of a complex period. Ward-Perkins views are trenchant, logical, well-argued and even witty; he refuses to toe the politically correct line which would have us evaluate a crude hand built pot at the same level as Samian ware... the picture he paints of the period between the Roman Empire and the re-emergence of a literate civilisation restores most convincingly the congency of the concept of the Dark Ages.

I recently visited Venice to see the wonderful 'Rome and the Barbarians' exhibition, and it is significant that the monograph discussion of this period in the catalogue raisonne refers to this book several times with high praise.

One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich, 16 Aug 2007
Professor Ward-Perkins has done an interesting, if short, book on a majestic theme - the fall of one of history's greatest empires, and its aftermath.

His main concern is to debunk a notion, apparently fashionable among historians, which I'm not sure many other people ever shared - the idea that the Fall of Rome wasn't such a big deal. Apparently, there is an historical school which regards the whole business as a mostly peaceful transition from the tail end of the Ancient World into the beginning of Medieval Europe. He collects an impressive pile of evidence that it was far from peaceful, and was indeed pretty catastrophic for many of those who had to live through it. Roman civilisation did not die of natural causes. It was killed, and mainly by the military force of the Barbarians.

Well, so far, so good. I doubt if the inhabitants of Italy, Gaul and Spain, who spent most of the years from 405 to 420 having one set of barbarians after another marching and counter-marching all over their homelands, would have any trouble agreeing with Ward-Perkins. Over the next couple of centuries many others would have cause to feel the same way. Nor was this temporary. For several centuries more, comforts that the Romans took for granted would become available only to a tiny few, and sometimes not at all. Pottery making virtually died out in Britain until about 700, tiled roofs, previously common, were little-known in the Middle Ages, and even coinage gave way to barter over wide areas. In short, standards of living, as usually measured, took a prolonged nosedive.

And yet - -. This is all very well, but if the Empire's fall was such a terrible loss to those who lived in it, how come it was never restored? The Chinese Empire "fell" lots of times, but was always rebuilt. When Rome fell, it stayed fallen, and its people seem to have soon become reconciled to doing without it.

Nor can the Barbarians be held solely responsible for what happened. In Asia Minor, which was virtually untouched by barbarian invasion, Colin McEvedy's "New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History" shows four cities - Ephesus, Miletus, Sardis, Smyrna - of between 15,000 and 50,000 people in AD 528. On the map for AD737, not one of them remains. Here at least, the Barbarians were not to blame for the decline, and other factors need to be considered.

At times, Ward-Perkins himself gives significant hints at this. He quotes ancient sources to the effect that, during Alaric's siege of Rome in 408/9, "almost all the slaves that were in Rome poured out of the city to join the Barbarians". And nine years earlier, when the rebel general Tribigild marched across Asia Minor, then a peaceful and prosperous region, his force was soon swelled by "such a mass of slaves and outcasts that the whole of Asia was in great danger, while Lydia was in utter confusion, with almost everyone fleeing to the coast and sailing across to the islands or elsewhere with their whole families". Clearly not all the Empire's subjects loved it.

But perhaps the most revealing incident is from 393, when "the Roman aristocrat Symmachus brought a group of Saxon prisoners to Rome, intending them to slaughter each other in gladiatorial games in honour of his son. However, before they were publicly exhibited twenty-nine of them committed suicide by the only means available to them - by strangling each other with their bare hands! For us, their terrible death represents a courageous act of defiance, but Symmachus viewed their suicide as the action of "a group of men viler than Spartacus", which had been sent to test him. With the self-satisfaction of which only Roman aristocrats were capable, he compared his own philosophical response to the event to the calm of Socrates when faced with adversity."

If Symmachus was at all representative of its ruling class, one can easily get an inkling of why the Empire failed, and see why not only the Barbarians, but many of its own less privileged subjects, might not have been sorry to see it go. One man's civilisation can all too easily be another man's "Third Reich", and one may suspect that many were ready enough to try and get along without the Roman State, even if it did mean having to make their own pottery.

Pottery is fun!, 23 Mar 2007
Don't be put off, as I initially was, by the technical illustrations and discussions of pottery types that at first sight may make this look like the drier kind of archaelogical textbook. It is in fact a witty and stimulating exposition, with skilfull deployment of supporting evidence of both "hard" and "soft" varieties, of the view that the end of the Roman Empire was indeed a violent, traumatic and destructive episode. His view can be summed up as being if it looks like a collapse, sounds like a collapse and feels like a collapse then that is exactly what it is. Seems fair enough to me!

This is not, nor does it claim to be, an in-depth examination of why the Empire fell or a narrative of that fall. Instead, it is an attempt, in my view a successful one, to show that this was indeed a "fall" and not just a transformation or transition from one form of society to another. Despite some of the hype around the book, at least going by the description on the back of the paperback version, I am not sure that this view ever really went away although recent years have undoubtedly seen a strengthening of the contrary view that it was essentially a largely peaceful "transformation".

I found particularly interesting Ward-Perkins' use, of evidence like the aforementioned pottery, to show that the end of the Empire was manifested not just through the immediate and obvious impact of large numbers of greedy warriors with big swords taking over the land, but the resultant loss of links between the various parts of the Empire and thus of the flows of goods and services that enabled the Roman civilization to flourish.

This is not to say that Ward-Perkins denies that the "barbarians" were incapable of any positive achievements. Clearly they were so capable, and he admits as much. But what clearly emerges is a picture of a sophisticated and reasonably comfortable civilization falling into an abyss, admittedly deeper in some places than others, from which it took centuries to recover. (Try Alfred Duggan's "The Little Emperors" for a fictional, and to my mind very effective, treatment of what this must have fet like to those living through it.)

Invaluable as a Reference Book, 19 May 2008
For anyone with even a passing interest in Roman history this book is an invaluable source of knowledge about the Roman Emperor's. Personally it helps to set the scene for me even if the book is a work of fiction if I can pin point the period of Roman history that is being written about and knowing what emperor was reigning in Rome and in what years is a sure fire way of pin-pointing the period in which the book is written.

Of course the book is so much more than a time scale of Roman history, there is also information regarding what wars if any were fought during a particular emperor's reign and what Roman building were attributable to any given emperor. The book covers the succession of 80 emperors, with biographical portraits of the 56 most notable ones. Names that leap out from the pages of the history books, Julius Caesar, Hadrian, Nero, all names to conjure with.

There are contemporary judgements made by writers of the time including Suetonius and Tacitus and these are balanced by character assessments made in the light of modern research. This is a book that is well worth having, not only for its reference capabilities but also it is a good read in its own right.

Rome's Emperors, 27 Mar 2008
This book is easily the most accessible and readable title on the Roman Emperors. It provides short biographies of the rulers of Rome from Augustus Caesar in 30 BC, right through to the fall of the Western Empire and the reign of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476.

The book is really well illustrated, with plenty of photographs of busts, coins and cameos, giving you an idea of the apperance of each emperor. The book also contains a few colour illustrations showing the architecture of the Imperial Palaces or the Colosseum. There are 328 illustrations, 111 of which are in colour.

What makes this book a worthy purchase is the sheer wealth of facts on each page. For instance, there is an addition of a timeline - This allows you to put the lives of the Emperors into the context of the period. The addition of family trees, information tables on the titles and achievements of each emperor and the addition of colour maps give you an even greater appreciation of the book. This title also has several sections which look at the art and architecture of the Roman Empire, from the Colosseum to Trajan's column, the city of Palmyra and the Palace of Diocletian and much, much more.

What I found very interesting were the biographies on the lesser known emperors, such as Florianus, Tacitus, Probus and Gordian III. These are rarely mentioned in history books, so it was great to read about these murky figures along with the biographies of more famous figures such as Augustus, Nero and Caligula.

My only complaint is that the later Roman emperors are not significantly covered. All the rulers from Constantine I onward are mentioned in just under eight pages. This is a shame as there were genuinely interesting figures from this period, including Julian the Apostate, Honorius, Theodosius the Great and Valens. It's a bit of a missed opportunity considering that some lesser emperors are given much more space, even if they only ruled for a few weeks.

Despite this small flaw, the book deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Ancient Rome or Classical Civilisation.

The roman emperors, 26 Aug 2004
First of all this is one of the best books you can get for this subject, in terms being accurate and straight to the point, giving plenty of detail and not over doing it. This then not only makes it a exciting and educational read but also makes it a good reference guide. All in all ane of the best book on the roman emperors you can get. An excelent job.

The Emperors: A complete chronology, 28 Apr 2003
I had looked forward to receiving this book eagerly and in no way did it disappoint. Scarre's analysis goes into intricate depth and his ability to question the biases of some of the historians of the day is something which he can take real credit for.
Starting with Augustus, you journey through the ups and downs of the Roman Empire in startling detail, comprehensive accounts are given of each Emperor and dynasty, right through to the 5th century AD.
From this we are easily able to understand each Emperor at an individual level. Those that greatly forwarded the fortunes of the empire, the forgotten Emperors who ruled only briefly as well as the monsters and megalomaniacs!
I found this to be a thoroughly informative and gripping account.

A polished pageant of Rome's Emperors, 27 May 2000
Dr. Scarre has written an excellent review of the lives of the most powerful men of Imperial Rome. Chronologically, with linking time lines he introduces the reader to the men behind the torsos and coins which are often all that is left of their reign. The illustrations are well chosen and relevant to each subject and I particularly liked the contemporaneous quotes and the way they are explained in context. The book is well laid out and suitable for simply reading through or for reference. The prose is scholarly and accessible. The book has a useful bibliography for those that want to take their interest further. In these days of computers and easy travel, I would like to have seen a list of website addresses of museums relevant to the subjects and some maps linked to each emperor indicating archeological sites where they had left their mark. Could this be the next book? Highly recommended.

The beauty of the Parthenon -- and how it was trashed, 01 Feb 2004
One chilly February morning, just as dawn was arriving and the shops and offices were still clad in the cold grey of the fading
night, I saw by the dawn's golden glow the full splendour of the Parthenon floating serenely above the narrow streets of
Athens.

The sun had risen just enough to light the Parthenon. For a moment or so it floated; the Acropolis could have been a cloud
with the Parthenon as a vision of the front door to the home of the gods. It was a perfect metaphor for the reputation of ancient
Athens as a city committed to beauty, elegance, grace and the sensitivity to express artistic values.

Mary Beard has done a superb job in this concise and poignant history, undoubtedly the finest structure of its kind in the
world. The ancients didn't consider it one of the Seven Wonders of the World, they seem to have based their values on
volume instead of quality. Perhaps the Parthenon, even today in its ruined state, should be considered first among the Seven
Beauties of the World.

Her book is a treasure for anyone who has visited the Acropolis; it is essential for anyone who plans to visit Athens and do
more than drink ouzo in some seedy taverna. It's more than a bare-bones history; she recounts the scandals in getting it built,
and the subsequent sins of omission and commission during the past 20 centuries during which this gem was defaced.

Maybe my view is warped because of my first magic view; however, I still regard it as a gift of the gods which mortal humans
have spoiled. Beard doesn't offer any such speculation; instead, she does offer a nuts-and-bolts history of this gem from the
past. That is the strength of her book, she ignores the nonsense and concentrates on facts.

It is also the weakness, in my view. The history is brief but fascinating, but she doesn't understand the psychic importance of
Athena to the Athenians. For a comparison, think of the 'Liberty Enlightening the World' statue in New York harbour and its
significance to all Americans, whether they have seen it or not. Both statues embody the ideals of the society in which they are
displayed; I suggest when you read this book, to keep this comparison in mind to get a full appreciation of just how much each
means to the world.

England, of course, hasn't built a monument since Stonehenge. England builds little statues to honor its heroes; think of the
Albert Memorial. Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is a mere 59 columns short of a full Parthenon. How about the Millenium Dome to celebrate two millennia of ? ? ? In America, the Statue of Liberty wasn't an American idea, it was a gift from France. It's not easy to come up with an artifact that expresses the ideals of a society through time.

The Parthenon is a timeless monument. Regardless of what or how you think of it, this book will add to your understanding,
appreciation and enjoyment. When you think of how many of today's architectural "gems" will still be visited 2,500 years from
now, it gives you an appreciation of what the Athenians accomplished.

Beard tells you how they did it, and then what happened. It's a superb book.

A wonderful book about a wonder of the world, 24 Jan 2004
This book is a delight to read. It tells a fascinating history clearly and in a way that makes you want to read a few more pages before you put it down. It spells out how little we really know about the original uses of the building whilst describing the rich history it has had down the ages. However much you think you know about this building, this book will add to that knowledge. It is not afraid to handle controversial issues such as the Elgin marbles but does so in a fair and even handed way. If you haven’t been to the Parthenon yet this book will make you want to go. If you have been before this book will make you want to go again and look at this iconic building in a new light. Could the writer or publisher have done it better? Well, the quality of photographs is less than we should expect in the digital age. Mary Beard’s excellent text deserves better. I look forward to reading the other volumes in the series.

So where are the Samnites?, 26 Jun 2008
This book is highly overrated. How can anyone write a book on the houses of Pompeii without one single reference to the Samnites? Much of what we know about Roman houses comes from what has been learned from the Scavi at Pompeii. But Pompeii for much of its history wasn't a Roman City at all. It only really became truly Romanised around 80BCE after the `Social Wars', when the Romans decided to billet 2000 veterans in the city to keep the locals quiet.

Add to this, many of Hadrill's diagrams are incomprehensible. With numbers everywhere and no keys to what they represent. And exactly where the science is in this book is a `Villa of the Mysteries' to me.


Superb, 30 Nov 2007
While this is an extremely scientific book and perhaps not the first port of call for the uninitiated on Pompeii, f.or the serious student of Roman history, archaeology, and art history, it is simply unparalleled. No other book on Pompeii's domestic sphere can match up to Wallace-Hadrill's masterful use of evidence and well-defined themes. There is also a pleasing amount of colour plates and images throughout.


A superb account of the use of domestic space in Pompeii., 10 Nov 1998
This is a technical book which is demanding for the non-specialist. However, it is delghtfully written, well illustrated and readily repays the effort required. Anyone interested in the use of living space in Pompeii and Herculaneum will find this book fascinating as will anyone tired of the platitudes of popular accounts. It is without doubt the best book I have come across about Pompeii and it gives hope that there is still much that can be learnt from the site despite the ravages it has suffered at the hands of archaeologists in the past.

History as it should be written. , 09 May 2008
Ward-Perkins makes his case (that the Fall of Rome really was an epochal catastrophe) so concisely and elegantly, and without any loss of detail or academic rigour, that it shames many an academic historian whose works are heavy going, even for other historians. The seamless interweaving of documentary and archaeological evidence, the graphics and clear pursuit of a particular historiographical view and its relvance to us today - leavened by occasional donnish humour - make this an easy read.

Particularly interesting to read this alongside Peter Heather's (another Oxford historian) book on the Fall of Rome, coincidentally published around the same time but taking a different angle.



Not quite., 26 Mar 2008
Mr. Perkins is a arqueologist who writes a book on history (for those who d'ont know history studies documents and archaeology studies objects). The result is not convincing: the work is not properly suported by document research and the archaeology part seams to be resumed to pottery finding.
The author contradits himself often. At one point he says that the empire was still quite strong on the V century only to further on saying that lack of money resulted on a diminished and weakened army. Another example: the author compares the roman economy to the west's XX century one; but then he goes on to compare it with the soviet one - the second is defendable; the first is absurd.
Mr Perkins has a soft spot for the romans wich I share with him. But that doesn't stop me from recognising their weaknesses: it was extremely centralised, the governement being responsable for most economic activity wich resulted on a lack of enterprise (remember that a large part of the population was enslaved and that roman citizens did not look well on business entrepreneurship). All this resulted on lack of flexibility to meet the financial crisis of the III and V centuries.
Rome did us the favour of falling at the right moment. And it was the political fragmentation that followed that created the basis for the competition that made europe great.

Elegant and readable introduction to a complex period, 21 Feb 2008
This concise and elegantly written little book makes an excellent introduction to more detailed analyses of a complex period. Ward-Perkins views are trenchant, logical, well-argued and even witty; he refuses to toe the politically correct line which would have us evaluate a crude hand built pot at the same level as Samian ware... the picture he paints of the period between the Roman Empire and the re-emergence of a literate civilisation restores most convincingly the congency of the concept of the Dark Ages.

I recently visited Venice to see the wonderful 'Rome and the Barbarians' exhibition, and it is significant that the monograph discussion of this period in the catalogue raisonne refers to this book several times with high praise.

One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich, 16 Aug 2007
Professor Ward-Perkins has done an interesting, if short, book on a majestic theme - the fall of one of history's greatest empires, and its aftermath.

His main concern is to debunk a notion, apparently fashionable among historians, which I'm not sure many other people ever shared - the idea that the Fall of Rome wasn't such a big deal. Apparently, there is an historical school which regards the whole business as a mostly peaceful transition from the tail end of the Ancient World into the beginning of Medieval Europe. He collects an impressive pile of evidence that it was far from peaceful, and was indeed pretty catastrophic for many of those who had to live through it. Roman civilisation did not die of natural causes. It was killed, and mainly by the military force of the Barbarians.

Well, so far, so good. I doubt if the inhabitants of Italy, Gaul and Spain, who spent most of the years from 405 to 420 having one set of barbarians after another marching and counter-marching all over their homelands, would have any trouble agreeing with Ward-Perkins. Over the next couple of centuries many others would have cause to feel the same way. Nor was this temporary. For several centuries more, comforts that the Romans took for granted would become available only to a tiny few, and sometimes not at all. Pottery making virtually died out in Britain until about 700, tiled roofs, previously common, were little-known in the Middle Ages, and even coinage gave way to barter over wide areas. In short, standards of living, as usually measured, took a prolonged nosedive.

And yet - -. This is all very well, but if the Empire's fall was such a terrible loss to those who lived in it, how come it was never restored? The Chinese Empire "fell" lots of times, but was always rebuilt. When Rome fell, it stayed fallen, and its people seem to have soon become reconciled to doing without it.

Nor can the Barbarians be held solely responsible for what happened. In Asia Minor, which was virtually untouched by barbarian invasion, Colin McEvedy's "New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History" shows four cities - Ephesus, Miletus, Sardis, Smyrna - of between 15,000 and 50,000 people in AD 528. On the map for AD737, not one of them remains. Here at least, the Barbarians were not to blame for the decline, and other factors need to be considered.

At times, Ward-Perkins himself gives significant hints at this. He quotes ancient sources to the effect that, during Alaric's siege of Rome in 408/9, "almost all the slaves that were in Rome poured out of the city to join the Barbarians". And nine years earlier, when the rebel general Tribigild marched across Asia Minor, then a peaceful and prosperous region, his force was soon swelled by "such a mass of slaves and outcasts that the whole of Asia was in great danger, while Lydia was in utter confusion, with almost everyone fleeing to the coast and sailing across to the islands or elsewhere with their whole families". Clearly not all the Empire's subjects loved it.

But perhaps the most revealing incident is from 393, when "the Roman aristocrat Symmachus brought a group of Saxon prisoners to Rome, intending them to slaughter each other in gladiatorial games in honour of his son. However, before they were publicly exhibited twenty-nine of them committed suicide by the only means available to them - by strangling each other with their bare hands! For us, their terrible death represents a courageous act of defiance, but Symmachus viewed their suicide as the action of "a group of men viler than Spartacus", which had been sent to test him. With the self-satisfaction of which only Roman aristocrats were capable, he compared his own philosophical response to the event to the calm of Socrates when faced with adversity."

If Symmachus was at all representative of its ruling class, one can easily get an inkling of why the Empire failed, and see why not only the Barbarians, but many of its own less privileged subjects, might not have been sorry to see it go. One man's civilisation can all too easily be another man's "Third Reich", and one may suspect that many were ready enough to try and get along without the Roman State, even if it did mean having to make their own pottery.

Pottery is fun!, 23 Mar 2007
Don't be put off, as I initially was, by the technical illustrations and discussions of pottery types that at first sight may make this look like the drier kind of archaelogical textbook. It is in fact a witty and stimulating exposition, with skilfull deployment of supporting evidence of both "hard" and "soft" varieties, of the view that the end of the Roman Empire was indeed a violent, traumatic and destructive episode. His view can be summed up as being if it looks like a collapse, sounds like a collapse and feels like a collapse then that is exactly what it is. Seems fair enough to me!

This is not, nor does it claim to be, an in-depth examination of why the Empire fell or a narrative of that fall. Instead, it is an attempt, in my view a successful one, to show that this was indeed a "fall" and not just a transformation or transition from one form of society to another. Despite some of the hype around the book, at least going by the description on the back of the paperback version, I am not sure that this view ever really went away although recent years have undoubtedly seen a strengthening of the contrary view that it was essentially a largely peaceful "transformation".

I found particularly interesting Ward-Perkins' use, of evidence like the aforementioned pottery, to show that the end of the Empire was manifested not just through the immediate and obvious impact of large numbers of greedy warriors with big swords taking over the land, but the resultant loss of links between the various parts of the Empire and thus of the flows of goods and services that enabled the Roman civilization to flourish.

This is not to say that Ward-Perkins denies that the "barbarians" were incapable of any positive achievements. Clearly they were so capable, and he admits as much. But what clearly emerges is a picture of a sophisticated and reasonably comfortable civilization falling into an abyss, admittedly deeper in some places than others, from which it took centuries to recover. (Try Alfred Duggan's "The Little Emperors" for a fictional, and to my mind very effective, treatment of what this must have fet like to those living through it.)

Invaluable as a Reference Book, 19 May 2008
For anyone with even a passing interest in Roman history this book is an invaluable source of knowledge about the Roman Emperor's. Personally it helps to set the scene for me even if the book is a work of fiction if I can pin point the period of Roman history that is being written about and knowing what emperor was reigning in Rome and in what years is a sure fire way of pin-pointing the period in which the book is written.

Of course the book is so much more than a time scale of Roman history, there is also information regarding what wars if any were fought during a particular emperor's reign and what Roman building were attributable to any given emperor. The book covers the succession of 80 emperors, with biographical portraits of the 56 most notable ones. Names that leap out from the pages of the history books, Julius Caesar, Hadrian, Nero, all names to conjure with.

There are contemporary judgements made by writers of the time including Suetonius and Tacitus and these are balanced by character assessments made in the light of modern research. This is a book that is well worth having, not only for its reference capabilities but also it is a good read in its own right.

Rome's Emperors, 27 Mar 2008
This book is easily the most accessible and readable title on the Roman Emperors. It provides short biographies of the rulers of Rome from Augustus Caesar in 30 BC, right through to the fall of the Western Empire and the reign of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476.

The book is really well illustrated, with plenty of photographs of busts, coins and cameos, giving you an idea of the apperance of each emperor. The book also contains a few colour illustrations showing the architecture of the Imperial Palaces or the Colosseum. There are 328 illustrations, 111 of which are in colour.

What makes this book a worthy purchase is the sheer wealth of facts on each page. For instance, there is an addition of a timeline - This allows you to put the lives of the Emperors into the context of the period. The addition of family trees, information tables on the titles and achievements of each emperor and the addition of colour maps give you an even greater appreciation of the book. This title also has several sections which look at the art and architecture of the Roman Empire, from the Colosseum to Trajan's column, the city of Palmyra and the Palace of Diocletian and much, much more.

What I found very interesting were the biographies on the lesser known emperors, such as Florianus, Tacitus, Probus and Gordian III. These are rarely mentioned in history books, so it was great to read about these murky figures along with the biographies of more famous figures such as Augustus, Nero and Caligula.

My only complaint is that the later Roman emperors are not significantly covered. All the rulers from Constantine I onward are mentioned in just under eight pages. This is a shame as there were genuinely interesting figures from this period, including Julian the Apostate, Honorius, Theodosius the Great and Valens. It's a bit of a missed opportunity considering that some lesser emperors are given much more space, even if they only ruled for a few weeks.

Despite this small flaw, the book deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Ancient Rome or Classical Civilisation.

The roman emperors, 26 Aug 2004
First of all this is one of the best books you can get for this subject, in terms being accurate and straight to the point, giving plenty of detail and not over doing it. This then not only makes it a exciting and educational read but also makes it a good reference guide. All in all ane of the best book on the roman emperors you can get. An excelent job.

The Emperors: A complete chronology, 28 Apr 2003
I had looked forward to receiving this book eagerly and in no way did it disappoint. Scarre's analysis goes into intricate depth and his ability to question the biases of some of the historians of the day is something which he can take real credit for.
Starting with Augustus, you journey through the ups and downs of the Roman Empire in startling detail, comprehensive accounts are given of each Emperor and dynasty, right through to the 5th century AD.
From this we are easily able to understand each Emperor at an individual level. Those that greatly forwarded the fortunes of the empire, the forgotten Emperors who ruled only briefly as well as the monsters and megalomaniacs!
I found this to be a thoroughly informative and gripping account.

A polished pageant of Rome's Emperors, 27 May 2000
Dr. Scarre has written an excellent review of the lives of the most powerful men of Imperial Rome. Chronologically, with linking time lines he introduces the reader to the men behind the torsos and coins which are often all that is left of their reign. The illustrations are well chosen and relevant to each subject and I particularly liked the contemporaneous quotes and the way they are explained in context. The book is well laid out and suitable for simply reading through or for reference. The prose is scholarly and accessible. The book has a useful bibliography for those that want to take their interest further. In these days of computers and easy travel, I would like to have seen a list of website addresses of museums relevant to the subjects and some maps linked to each emperor indicating archeological sites where they had left their mark. Could this be the next book? Highly recommended.

The beauty of the Parthenon -- and how it was trashed, 01 Feb 2004
One chilly February morning, just as dawn was arriving and the shops and offices were still clad in the cold grey of the fading
night, I saw by the dawn's golden glow the full splendour of the Parthenon floating serenely above the narrow streets of
Athens.

The sun had risen just enough to light the Parthenon. For a moment or so it floated; the Acropolis could have been a cloud
with the Parthenon as a vision of the front door to the home of the gods. It was a perfect metaphor for the reputation of ancient
Athens as a city committed to beauty, elegance, grace and the sensitivity to express artistic values.

Mary Beard has done a superb job in this concise and poignant history, undoubtedly the finest structure of its kind in the
world. The ancients didn't consider it one of the Seven Wonders of the World, they seem to have based their values on
volume instead of quality. Perhaps the Parthenon, even today in its ruined state, should be considered first among the Seven
Beauties of the World.

Her book is a treasure for anyone who has visited the Acropolis; it is essential for anyone who plans to visit Athens and do
more than drink ouzo in some seedy taverna. It's more than a bare-bones history; she recounts the scandals in getting it built,
and the subsequent sins of omission and commission during the past 20 centuries during which this gem was defaced.

Maybe my view is warped because of my first magic view; however, I still regard it as a gift of the gods which mortal humans
have spoiled. Beard doesn't offer any such speculation; instead, she does offer a nuts-and-bolts history of this gem from the
past. That is the strength of her book, she ignores the nonsense and concentrates on facts.

It is also the weakness, in my view. The history is brief but fascinating, but she doesn't understand the psychic importance of
Athena to the Athenians. For a comparison, think of the 'Liberty Enlightening the World' statue in New York harbour and its
significance to all Americans, whether they have seen it or not. Both statues embody the ideals of the society in which they are
displayed; I suggest when you read this book, to keep this comparison in mind to get a full appreciation of just how much each
means to the world.

England, of course, hasn't built a monument since Stonehenge. England builds little statues to honor its heroes; think of the
Albert Memorial. Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is a mere 59 columns short of a full Parthenon. How about the Millenium Dome to celebrate two millennia of ? ? ? In America, the Statue of Liberty wasn't an American idea, it was a gift from France. It's not easy to come up with an artifact that expresses the ideals of a society through time.

The Parthenon is a timeless monument. Regardless of what or how you think of it, this book will add to your understanding,
appreciation and enjoyment. When you think of how many of today's architectural "gems" will still be visited 2,500 years from
now, it gives you an appreciation of what the Athenians accomplished.

Beard tells you how they did it, and then what happened. It's a superb book.

A wonderful book about a wonder of the world, 24 Jan 2004
This book is a delight to read. It tells a fascinating history clearly and in a way that makes you want to read a few more pages before you put it down. It spells out how little we really know about the original uses of the building whilst describing the rich history it has had down the ages. However much you think you know about this building, this book will add to that knowledge. It is not afraid to handle controversial issues such as the Elgin marbles but does so in a fair and even handed way. If you haven’t been to the Parthenon yet this book will make you want to go. If you have been before this book will make you want to go again and look at this iconic building in a new light. Could the writer or publisher have done it better? Well, the quality of photographs is less than we should expect in the digital age. Mary Beard’s excellent text deserves better. I look forward to reading the other volumes in the series.

So where are the Samnites?, 26 Jun 2008
This book is highly overrated. How can anyone write a book on the houses of Pompeii without one single reference to the Samnites? Much of what we know about Roman houses comes from what has been learned from the Scavi at Pompeii. But Pompeii for much of its history wasn't a Roman City at all. It only really became truly Romanised around 80BCE after the `Social Wars', when the Romans decided to billet 2000 veterans in the city to keep the locals quiet.

Add to this, many of Hadrill's diagrams are incomprehensible. With numbers everywhere and no keys to what they represent. And exactly where the science is in this book is a `Villa of the Mysteries' to me.


Superb, 30 Nov 2007
While this is an extremely scientific book and perhaps not the first port of call for the uninitiated on Pompeii, f.or the serious student of Roman history, archaeology, and art history, it is simply unparalleled. No other book on Pompeii's domestic sphere can match up to Wallace-Hadrill's masterful use of evidence and well-defined themes. There is also a pleasing amount of colour plates and images throughout.


A superb account of the use of domestic space in Pompeii., 10 Nov 1998
This is a technical book which is demanding for the non-specialist. However, it is delghtfully written, well illustrated and readily repays the effort required. Anyone interested in the use of living space in Pompeii and Herculaneum will find this book fascinating as will anyone tired of the platitudes of popular accounts. It is without doubt the best book I have come across about Pompeii and it gives hope that there is still much that can be learnt from the site despite the ravages it has suffered at the hands of archaeologists in the past.

Absolute Rubbish, 02 Jan 2009
I literally couldn't keep my eyes open. The effort of concentration required to read this book renders the entire experience pointless, and unpleasant.



Boring!, 21 Jul 2008
This book is dreadful! Its so dry and dull and impossible to get into. I kept falling asleep.You have to really want to absorb everything to glean anything from this book and even then you'll struggle.

whenever I put it down (for a much needed rest) I came away feeling cross and all I could remember about it was the amount of concentration needed to remain awake and focused. It is the literary equivalent of a challenging mountain climb with non of the satisfaction at reaching the summit.

This book has the power to damage an interest in the subject by presenting a one dimensional approach.

Essential for Ancient History Students, 08 Jul 2008
Bought this book at the start of my First year taking Ancient history and Classical Studies, and just graduated (with a first!) and used this book in all three years.

Hornblower provides a clear and concise summary of events throughout the formative classical period which proved very useful as I came to grips with the subject area in my first year. On top of this, it is written with enough scholarly skill that I still used this book in my third year. Although obviously not completely comprehensive it covers most major themes and provides a great starting point for further study, aided by the brilliant bibliography.
Highly recommended.

Brilliant!, 15 Mar 2006
This is the only guide to Greek history you'll ever need. Some of the finer points of chronology are disputed, but Hornblower's account is always objective and his careful referencing enables any attentive scholar to go further on their own.

The essential book for the period.., 01 Dec 2003
The Greek World is, quite simply, a handbook for anyone even remotely interested in ancient Greek civilisation. It is easy to read, yet provides a terrific amount of detail into the various cities and cultures in the Peloponnesus. This third edition has been extensively updated, and the easy-to-use footnotes point to many other interesting books which expand on the subject. It's the perfect book to cultivate an interest in Ancient Greece.