How Rome Fell : Death of a Superpower (Paperback)

from nmele

Goldsworthy's clarity brings a clear narrative line to his history of the Roman Empire through the sixth century. He offers pretty compelling evidence for his thesis that because emperors placed their survival above the good of the state, the state rotted from within.

from RobertP

This is a very informative and entertaining look at the long drawn out collapse of the Roman Empire. Adrian Goldsworthy makes two good points. First, that the Empire took a long time to collapse - it was not a sudden or noticeable thing. Second, that a self-serving and not very efficient bureaucr...

from Peacock1

An excellent telling of the decling years of Rome, with a thought provoking last chapter as to Goldsworthy's explanation of why the WEstern Empire collapsed.

from DanelMaddison

An insightful history of each stage in Rome's fall, from the catastrophes of the Third Century, through the transformation of the Fourth Century to the final dissolution of the Western Empire. An exceptional work of scholarship, yet effectively written of the informed lay. His focus on internal s...

from zen_923

This book is both well-written and informative. The author provides a good narrative of the period from the golden age to the last years of the roman empire. He also does a good job of incorporating his thesis into the narrative to explain the age-old question of why and how the decline happened.