Originally published on September 25, 2023 (Episode 335)
Introduction
“If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world, during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus.” So wrote Edward Gibbon in the first volume of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. For Gibbon, Rome’s frontiers were guarded by renown and valor, while its provinces were united by laws and manners, their inhabitants enjoying—and abusing—the fruits of wealth and luxury.
But that peace, as Tom Holland reminds us, was bought at a high price. In his new book PAX: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age, Holland argues that the capacity of the Roman legions for extreme violence was the necessary precondition of the Pax Romana. And while Gibbon looked back wistfully on that golden age, the Romans who lived through it were not like us. Their peace was forged by blood, and their prosperity rested on foundations alien to our own moral sensibilities.
Tom Holland is the author of numerous bestselling books. PAX is the third in his Roman series, following Rubicon and Dynasty. He was last on Historically Thinking to discuss his book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World. Since then, he has also become co-host of The Rest is History podcast, now one of the most popular podcasts in Britain or perhaps anywhere else. Which means that this visit to Historically Thinking is now like the CEO of Tesco visiting a small alternative co-op in north Devon that reeks of patchouli, and sells at least 99 products made of hemp.
About the Guest
Tom Holland is an award-winning historian and broadcaster. His works include Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar, and Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World. He co-hosts The Rest is History with Dominic Sandbrook.
For Further Investigation
Tom Holland, PAX: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age (Basic Books, 2023)
Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (especially the opening chapters on Nerva to Marcus Aurelius)
Related conversations on the Roman Republic and Empire
Barry Strauss on the death of Caesar
Ed Watts on the fall of the Roman Republic
💬 Listen & Discuss
If peace depends on violence, can it ever be called peace? How should we weigh Rome’s prosperity against the brutality that sustained it? Share your thoughts in the comments, and pass this episode along to someone who’s interested in empire, history, and the costs of stability.
