Emperors of Rome
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Emperors of Rome
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Narrated by:
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Garrett G. Fagan
About this listen
What sort of men were the Roman emperors (and were they all men)? What background and training, if any, prepared them for their awesome responsibilities? What depravities did they display? And what achievements can they claim: laws passed, monuments built, lands and peoples conquered?
Dive into these questions and more with this introduction to the complex personalities of emperors such as Augustus, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. These thirty-six gripping lectures bring to life the many emperors of Rome from the turn of the 1st century to the transition to the Middle Ages. For more than five centuries, these emperors-a checkered mix of the wise, the brutal, and the unhinged-presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war.
Professor Fagan takes you deep into ancient Rome, asking: How did this system of rule come about? What did it replace? And who were the colorful, cruel, and crafty men who filled the almost omnipotent post of emperor? One of the most intriguing questions about the emperorship is why it endured for so long.
As you witness the reigns of the successive rulers unfold, you will see how the office evolved with the political forces that sustained it, becoming more and more tightly bound to the military. Each step toward despotism was taken with a view toward expedience. But when that step became the new normal, it paved the way for the next step, and so on. As you explore these questions, you'll also study the amalgam of eyewitness reports, later compilations, archaeological remains, and inscriptions on monuments and coins. Contemporary accounts, when available, are not necessarily to be trusted, which means you play the role of detective, sifting for the truth of this spellbinding era.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2007 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2007 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Emperors of Rome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim
- 19-09-14
Excellent in a number of different ways
I went on holiday to Rome and wanted something that would give me some historical background so this was one of a number of listens I downloaded. At first I was concerned that it might simply be a list of the emperors with some character details thrown in for entertainment ("megalomaniac; statesman; psychopath; pervert, followed by another pervert then a perverted psychopath....") which is a risk even for the best historians; even John Julius Norwich's "The Popes" suffers from a slight touch of it. But this is a really satisfying listen in which Prof Fagan takes the time to explain what was happening politically in the Roman empire during the period covered; how the emperors were forced to respond to the strategic context and how some of our contemporary images of them have been coloured by the way events were recorded at the time. Don't worry though; there are still plenty of inventively dissolute emperors, plotting slaves, nymphomaniac wives, imperial mothers who get busy with the poison to further junior's succession prospects and overly affectionate sons who can't seem to leave it at a box of chocolates on mother's day. Added to that Prof Fagan himself is a charming Irish guy who delivers his material in a very winning style. Highly recommended.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- William
- 07-01-18
Emperors run through
This is a good run through of the emperors and the institution.
The lecturer is key: he writes and reads the script. Prof Fagan is a good writer but an indifferent performer, but to be fair reading 20+ hours of lecture is quite a task.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- thijs
- 13-06-22
good
good in all aspects.
the lecturer is strong and factual, follows up where his previois series left off.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Iain G.
- 24-04-19
Great
Great chronological which I like but does dip into general areas around lecture 25 then continues until Constantine good for people looking for a solid overview from 44bc to 337 ad
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anthony
- 05-09-18
Very good but repetitive with other class
Very good overview but becomes repetitive with other course by the same professor, I preferred the other one and would recommend it instead
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- McB
- 31-08-19
Gets no better than this
Fagan is an engaging speaker and holds your interest easily. His pronunciation may be a little strange at times but that is rather endearing in itself. His other series of lectures for TTC on the history of the Roman Republic are well worth trying also.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mohammed khan
- 16-10-22
Excellent
Very informative, interesting and entertaining.
Will have to listen to again as too much to digest.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jokk
- 13-02-19
Really insightful, broad and well paced... Fab!!!
lots and lots of info all organized into a thought provoking and exciting narrative. Fagan's voice is lovely and he speaks with a really pleasing gentle authority... All his courses are great!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Simon
- 15-10-22
Enjoyable
I enjoyed listening to this, and heard information that I hadn’t heard or seen in previous accounts.
That being said I struggled with the narration & delivery of this.. I can understand that it will be difficult to give the reading without making errors bit for me far to many er’s, and ahh’s with pausing and repeating the beginning of a sentence.
If you can get past this though I would recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Alin Balauca
- 11-10-22
An insight into the roman world and their leaders
I am fascinated about the roman history, so for people with the same taste it will be a very pleasant listen.
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