Pax Romana: War, Peace and Conquest in the Roman World Paperback – August 22, 2017

In this meticulously researched volume, Goldsworthy delves deep into the nuanced era of Roman Britain, illuminating the complex interactions between Roman colonizers and indigenous populations. His scholarly examination reveals how the Pax Romana transformed the social, architectural, and administrative fabric of the British Isles, transcending mere military conquest to create a profound and enduring cultural metamorphosis. While not an era of absolute tranquility, this period represented a remarkable epoch of relative stability that enabled unprecedented development and cross-cultural exchange. Goldsworthy's narrative is both scholarly and engaging, offering readers a compelling window into a pivotal moment of historical transformation.

The Roman period of history is one of those subjects where there are so many books written on the subject that it can be a bit difficult to figure out where to start. After seeing this book recommended in a military magazine, I decided that I would try this book. Having merely glossed over the subject of Rome in history class, I had always wanted to know more about this predecessor to modern Western civilization.The book starts off with an introduction by the author explaining that modern historians often focus only on the colonial aspect of Rome and tend to paint Rome as nothing more than a brutal, horrific oppressor of its citizens. This is done with limited evidence and large amount of the book is spent on debunking these assertions with examples and documentation. The story of Rome itself is divided into two sections; one for the Republic and the other for the Empire. Since this is more of a summary, the reader is given the events and people of the time without being bogged down too much with the details. After the timeline is established at the beginning of each section, the author uses subsequent chapters to flesh out the various duties of the Romans, along with fleshing out the ethnic groups and their life under Roman Rule. This provides the reader with a bigger picture of what the Roman Republic and Empire were like for those who lived during that period of time.I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit and the narrative is easy to follow. Learning about the lives of the Romans and how they remained the dominant power in the area for about five hundred years is fascinating. It also provides some lessons that can be applied to our own time. The only drawback of this book is that a lot of time is spent debunking the modern historical narrative that has developed around Rome. At first, I was appreciative of this effort, and I understand why it has to be addressed. However, it did get a bit tiresome by the end of the book to have to be pulled back into modernity to address one more fallacious argument driven by the narrative. That the author felt the need to do this is a sign of the times we live in, I suppose.Overall, though it's a very good summary of Roman times that provides the reader with plenty of sources about the subject matter. If you'd like to get started on learning about Rome, then this is a good place to begin.

The book concludes with a few reflections on the "pax Romana," Roman peace as it existed over centuries. The author, Goldsworthy, says that "it took the domination of an empire like Rome to establish peace over such a wide area." He follows up: ". . .this was a remarkable acdhievement and one deserving admiration, whether or not it balances distaste for the savagery of Roman conquest."Goldsworthy has written other magisterial works. I have read two of those--biographies of Julius Caesar and Augustus. The works are exemplary and give us much detail and reflections on the outcomes of rule by both. This, too, is not just a rendering of what happened and when. There is that, but more as well. Goldsworthy steps back from time to time and reflects on the Pax Romana.Some of the more interesting findings:a. The Empire would leave a fair amount of administration of a newly conquered area to local rulers--if they were willing to submit to Rome and perform in accordance with the Empire's dictates and interest. It is interesting to see how many conquered peoples were willing to accept this state of affairs.b. The Empire cut also decide to "cut and run" if the cost-benefit calculus was not attractive. For instance, withdrawing from some Germanic lands, because of the difficulty of subduing these people.c. A willingness to be savage of an opponent resisted and the Romans had the strength to overcome them.d. Many of the subject nations were willing to work within the Roman parameters, because they received benefits, such a better communication and economic health.e. The surprsingly thin administrative resources of Rome. Governors were sent from Rome to exercise authority in the varios parts of the Empire. But they did not have much Roman bureaucratic infrastructure.Goldsworthy can also assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Pax Romana. All in all, a really fine work. If you want to understand the nature of Pax Romana, this is a very fine resource.

I really enjoyed this book. It fights against the current depiction of Rome in particular and Empires in general as being horrible, oppressive institutions. As the author convincingly points out, the lands that came to be dominated by Rome were just as violent, cruel ,unfair places before the coming of the Empire. In many places the coming of Rome had far more benefits for the common people than the situations they had been living under. The rulers of the Empire weren't benevolent, but they were farsighted enough to realize that it was much easier to rule a content populace than an angry one.I agree with the author that Rome brought many benefits and tried to show (if more to the elites than the common people) that Rome could be a tolerant master. History should always be viewed through the lens of its time, not how we live today. Sadly many fall victim to judging ancient societies by some ideal that we can't fulfill , even today. Great read