Pax Romana : war, peace, and conquest in the Roman world / Adrian Goldsworthy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goldsworthy, Adrian Keith, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rome--History--Empire, 30 B.C.-284 A.D.

Rome (Empire).

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 513 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2016.

Summary:

Best-selling author Adrian Goldsworthy turns his attention to the Pax Romana, the famous peace and prosperity brought by the Roman Empire at its height in the first and second centuries AD. Yet the Romans were conquerors, imperialists who took by force a vast empire stretching from the Euphrates to the Atlantic coast. Ruthless, Romans won peace not through coexistence but through dominance; millions died and were enslaved during the creation of their empire. Pax Romana examines how the Romans came to control so much of the world and asks whether traditionally favorable images of the Roman peace are true. Goldsworthy vividly recounts the rebellions of the conquered, examining why they broke out, why most failed, and how they became exceedingly rare. He reveals that hostility was just one reaction to the arrival of Rome and that from the outset, conquered peoples collaborated, formed alliances, and joined invaders, causing resistance movements to fade away.

Contents:

Part 1 Republic

I The Rise of Rome 21

Origins 21

The Republic 27

Overseas 31

II War 37

Massacre 37

Riches and Reputation - The Drive to Empire 45

Faith and Ruthless Ness 58

III Friends and Rivals 63

AMICI - The Friends of the Romans 63

'All Gaul is Divided Into Three Parts' Caesar's Intervention 70

Allies and Enemies 77

Resisting Rome 82

IV Traders And Settlers 87

Civis Romanus Sum - Romans Abroad 87

Markets and Exchange 93

Roman and Native 99

V 'How Much Did You Make?' - Government 107

Proconsuls 107

Cilicia 113

Making Money 119

VI Provincials and Kings 133

'At Least They Think They Have Self-Government' 133

Dealing with Rome 139

Peace and its Price 149

Part 2 Principate

VII Emperors

Power Without Limit 161

Peace and War 168

Limits 173

VIII Rebellion 187

'Must Everyone Accept Servitude?' 187

The Queen 190

Taxes and Ill-Treatment 198

Winning and Losing a Province 205

A Stronger Sense of Identity? 212

IX Resistance, Rioting and Robbery 217

'Peaceful and Quiet' 217

Kings and Bad Neighbours 221

Murder, Plunder and Politics 235

X Imperial Governors 245

'Firmness and Diligence' 245

Bithynia and Pontus - Waste, Corruption and Rivalries 250

Evil Men 266

XI Life Under Roman Rule 277

'Civilization' and 'Enslavement' 277

Sheep and Shepherds, Romans and Natives 289

Insiders and Outsiders 298

XII The Army and the Frontiers 309

'A Great Circle of Camps' 309

The Other Side of The Hill 327

Attack and Defence 335

XIII Garrisons and Raids 345

'Clandestine Crossings' 345

Garrisons, Forts and Walls 351

The Anatomy of a Raid 365

Fear, Reputation and Dominance 379

XIV Beyond the Pax Romana 383

Outside 383

Trade and Treaties 389

Civil War and Peace 400.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0300178824

9780300178821

OCLC:

941874968