Ten Caesars, Barry Strauss
Ten Caesars, Barry Strauss
30 Rating(s)
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Ten Caesars
Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine

Author: Barry Strauss

Narrator: Arthur Morey

Unabridged: 12 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/05/2019


Synopsis

Bestselling classical historian Barry Strauss delivers “an exceptionally accessible history of the Roman Empire…much of Ten Caesars reads like a script for Game of Thrones” (The Wall Street Journal)—a summation of three and a half centuries of the Roman Empire as seen through the lives of ten of the most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine.

In this essential and “enlightening” (The New York Times Book Review) work, Barry Strauss tells the story of the Roman Empire from rise to reinvention, from Augustus, who founded the empire, to Constantine, who made it Christian and moved the capital east to Constantinople.

During these centuries Rome gained in splendor and territory, then lost both. By the fourth century, the time of Constantine, the Roman Empire had changed so dramatically in geography, ethnicity, religion, and culture that it would have been virtually unrecognizable to Augustus. Rome’s legacy remains today in so many ways, from language, law, and architecture to the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. Strauss examines this enduring heritage through the lives of the men who shaped it: Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Diocletian, and Constantine. Over the ages, they learned to maintain the family business—the government of an empire—by adapting when necessary and always persevering no matter the cost.

Ten Caesars is a “captivating narrative that breathes new life into a host of transformative figures” (Publishers Weekly). This “superb summation of four centuries of Roman history, a masterpiece of compression, confirms Barry Strauss as the foremost academic classicist writing for the general reader today” (The Wall Street Journal).

About Barry Strauss

Barry Strauss is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, and a leading expert on ancient military history. He has written or edited several books, including The Battle of SalamisThe Trojan WarThe Spartacus WarMasters of CommandThe Death of Caesar, and Ten Caesars. Visit BarryStrauss.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Scarlett on December 21, 2018

I wish I could be kinder, but I am so disappointed. I would recommend this book only to those who are not very familiar with this part of history and who look for an interesting guide. Other than that, I would recommend reading The Twelve Caesars. All went downhill when I read this line in Trajan’s......more

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on March 04, 2019

Ten Caesars is renowned historian Barry Strauss's condensed version of the Roman Empires Ten Greatest Emperors and hats off to him for making an often dry, tedious topic seem exciting and accessible. It allows the reader to learn about the ten most prominent Roman figures and seamlessly scroll throu......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie (Bookfever) on March 12, 2019

I'm gonna jump right in and say that I highly enjoyed Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine by Barry S. Strauss. I randomly decided to read it when I saw it available to read on NetGalley because I craved some ancient history nonfiction. And I'm really glad that I did because I al......more

Goodreads review by Boudewijn on May 22, 2023

Accesible selection of biographies of ten Roman emperors who, each for his own reasons, defined social, economic or military changes that transformed the Roman empire. A few of this emperors were already known to me, but a few of them I've never heard of. I liked the stories and learned a few things......more

Goodreads review by Noah on January 30, 2019

This is the fifth book of ancient history that I’ve read by Barry Strauss, and I have enjoyed all of them. He has an ability to find the drama in history and to tell his stories with insight and clarity. In The Ten Caesars, (the title is a nod to the ancient classic by Suetonius, “The Twelve Caesars......more


Quotes

"Narrator Arthur Morey makes listening to this examination of 10 notable Caesars, from Augustus to Constantine, an easy pleasure. He narrates with understanding and insight, providing the context of their times and delivering the sense of the text with appropriate nuances of judgment and feeling. He has a seemingly relaxed but attentive way of considering and conveying the material that makes his narration sound casual and smart at the same time. As he makes the audiobook sound like a series of informative stories, one might think simply sounding conversational is natural and easy. But it takes great talent, skill, and tact to sound so nonchalantly affable while giving the right interpretation with the right pronunciation, intonation, and clear but unobtrusive intelligence."