“On a more profound level, Goldsworthy has depicted the grim process by which the Res Publica, the common good of the Roman many, was sacrificed for the self-preservation of the Imperial few, leading in due course to the destruction of all.” - California Literary Review “Weaves a compelling narrative that has enough new research to keep even well seasoned ‘Romanphiles’ satisfied.” - Washington Times “Goldsworthy asserts that…it was civil war and paranoia that destroyed the empire from within…How Rome Fell speeds both the casual and Rome-savvy reader through 400 years of tumultuous and world-changing history.” -, editorial review “Clearly and powerfully articulated.” - Telegraph (London) “Goldsworthy gives a vivid account… tells us clearly and well-and without attempts at literary majesty-about the series of events that brought Rome’s western empire to a state of collapse.” - Wall Street Journal This richly rewarding work will serve as an introduction to Roman history, but will also provide plenty of depth to satisfy the educated reader. Here, without the benefit of a central focusing figure like Caesar or Augustus, the narrator’s own pace and focus must fill in the gap, and Perkins finds his thread, as Goldsworthy does, in our own knowledge and understanding of the great empire whose language, artifacts, and institutions-and collapse-still shape our world today.”

“Derek Perkins brings just the right note of erudition and modernity to this daunting subject…He achieves a fine rendition of this superb writer’s measured, impartial tone.

Ultimately, this is the story of how an empire without a serious rival rotted from within, its rulers and institutions putting short-term ambition and personal survival over the greater good of the state. It was a time of revolutionary ideas, especially in religion, as Christianity went from persecuted sect to the religion of state and emperors. This was a period of remarkable personalities, from the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius to emperors like Diocletian, who portrayed themselves as tough, even brutal, soldiers. By the end of the fifth century, Roman rule had vanished in western Europe and much of northern Africa, and only a shrunken Eastern Empire remained. In AD 200, the Roman Empire seemed unassailable, its vast territory accounting for most of the known world.

How rome fell by adrian goldsworthy