Rome and Persia
The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
A “magnificent” (Spectator) history of the epic rivalry between the ancient world’s two great superpowers
The Roman empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale.
Its only true rival lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the region Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest that tantalized Greeks and Romans alike. Tracing seven centuries of conflict between Rome and Persia, historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows how these two great powers evolved together. Despite their endless clashes, trade between the empires enriched them both, and a mutual respect prevented both Rome and Persia from permanently destroying the other.
Epic in scope, Rome and Persia completely reshapes our understanding of one of the greatest rivalries of world history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this innovative study, historian and novelist Goldsworthy (Philip and Alexander) examines how the ancient world was shaped by Cold War-like tensions between two superpowers: the Roman Empire and the Parthian and Sasanian Persian empires (which Goldsworthy treats as one continuous political entity—it included at its core modern-day Iran, Iraq, and most of Syria, and encompassed neighboring regions at various points throughout its history). In the first century CE, conflicts between the two empires were often resolved by military actions within frontier kingdoms, which would typically shift allegiances depending on the current strength of their imperial neighbors. During times of direct confrontation, victories and defeats accrued to both sides equally, resulting in an equilibrium of power. By the eighth century, both empires were coping with internal strife and beset by invasions of Goths, Huns, and Turks, who would often ally themselves with one of the superpowers to the detriment of the other. Rome's relationship with the Parthian and Sasanian Persian empires was the longest and most influential of its existence, Goldsworthy convincingly demonstrates, far outweighing Carthage (a mere 100-year rivalry) in importance. Meticulous yet sweeping in scope, this is a major contribution to the understanding of a significant period in world history.
