Adrian Goldsworthy

I picked this book up when I visited the Alexander myth and legend themed exhibition at the British Library. That exhibition was focused on the stories told of Alexander after his passing, from the ancient world to modern-day comics, novels, and television drama. This book is really not interested in any of that, but what's actually in the surviving ancient sources, and it plainly acknowledges where things are unclear. That's very evident in the chapters about Philip, and those were the chapters I probably found more interesting, because I haven't really read that much about him. The chapters on Alexander were on more familiar ground, but I think what this book succeeded doing was give a better idea of the passage of time on various campaigns.… (mehr)

This is a well-written treatise on the last 200 years of the Roman Empire in the west. It is by no means equal to the scope and literary quality of Edward Gibbons iconic multi volume work “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”. This statement does not take anything away from Adrian Goldsworthy’s How Rome Fell -Death of a Superpower.

In order to better understand the merits of this new treatise on the fall of Roman Empire, it only makes sense to contrast it with Gibbon’s piece de resistance, which arguably has remained eminent even after 250 years.

Where Gibbon’s detached, neutral style anticipated in many ways modern scientific writing, his interspersed moralism was reminiscent of the great ancient historians.
Conforming to contemporary practice, Goldsworthy’s work is devoid of aphorisms and moral lessons.

However, what matters most is that How Rome Fell -Death of a Superpower can be seen as an important addition to Gibbons work.
Goldsworthy’s work injects many up-to-date facts and ideas from newly gathered archeological data but never claims the data to be complete. Therefore, even though Goldsworthy has a clearly defined thesis, he is always realistic enough to point at optional interpretations of the limited data available. In the end, this reader realizes that we know much less about certain eras of history than we have been led to believe. Adrian Goldsworthy’s work, unlike others, does not veil this very important fact, and it manages to make careful and very educated extrapolations utilizing a blend of common sense, awareness of human nature and the accumulated archeological discoveries since Gibbons era.… (mehr)

This is renowned historian Adrian Goldsworthy's contribution to a series on great battles. In this work he presents an outstanding and concise analysis of not only the Battle of Cannae, but just as importantly provides the perfect amount of context- both regarding the Romans and Carthaginians as a people and as to their military structure. The events leading up to and actually during the conflict are described in unsurpassed clarity.

In my opinion, this is a must-read not only for fans of the Roman Republic, but also for those who want to have a comprehensive understanding of one of the most significant battles in history.

Highly recommended.… (mehr)