Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age

"If you’re looking for more of a narrative read, the third volume in Tom Holland’s Roman Empire trilogy is now out in the US. Following Rubicon and Dynasty , we now have Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age . This is the heyday of the Roman Empire from 68 (the year Augustus’s last male descendent, Nero, committed suicide) up to the death of Hadrian in 138. It covers ‘the year of the four emperors’ (Galba, Otho, Vitellius), the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, Domitian) and the Antonine emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian). At 360 pages, this is not a book to read if you want to quickly find out what happened. It’s for anyone who really enjoys going up the Rhine with Vitellius and learning about the armies stationed in Upper Germany or reading about local politics in Pompeii in the run-up to the eruption of Vesuvius. Tom Holland knows a phenomenal amount about ancient Rome, and he shares his knowledge generously in the book."