The Modern Scholar: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire cover art

The Modern Scholar: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

The Modern Scholar: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

By: Thomas F. Madden
Narrated by: Thomas F. Madden
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 Even millennia after its fall, the grand expanse of Roman achievement continues to affect not only American society, but the entire world as well. What caused a civilization of such accomplishments to disintegrate? In this informative and lively series of lectures, renowned history professor Thomas F. Madden serves as the ultimate guide through the fall of ancient Rome. Professor Madden correlates the principles of Roman conduct - both governmental and military - that would forever change the world. Rome was an empire unlike the world had ever seen, and one that will likely never be duplicated. Peopled with personages of great distinction and even greater ambition, at once notable for humanity's great promise and flawed nature, the Roman Empire contributed many of history's proudest advancements. Here Professor Madden invites audiences to explore all the grandeur of this fallen empire.©2008 Thomas F. Madden (P)2008 Recorded Books Ancient Ancient History

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution cover art
Lost Enlightenment cover art
The Anarchy cover art
The Second World War: Milestones to Disaster cover art
A Brief History of the Samurai cover art
The Language Instinct cover art
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich cover art
A History of the World cover art
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World cover art
Guns, Germs and Steel cover art
The Art of War cover art
The Prince cover art
Proving History cover art
In God's Path cover art
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World cover art
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
This set of lectures is a good way to learn about the later history of the Roman Empire.

Informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Starts with a good question, but doesn’t answer it really. Roman history for a beginner.

Basic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As others have noted this is primarily a discussion of political power & dynastic succession. The essential problem being who takes over from the last emperor when their reign comes to an end. Prof. Madden does an excellent job of making the subject interesting. And it is interesting. But at times you wish he would generalise a bit more and discuss instead the social & cultural issues resulting from Rome's decline. What for instance happened to all the Roman citizens living in provinces like Britain & Gaul which were conquered by Germanic tribes? Also recommended on this subject is Mike Duncan's "The Storm Before The Storm". Lecture titles in Madden's audiobook below.

1. The Decline and Fall of What?
2. The Sick Republic
3. The Augustan Revolution
4. The Julio-Claudian Emperors
5. Instability and War
6. Order Restored: The Five Good Emperors, 96–180
7. Military Dictatorship
8. The Spreading Anarchy, 235–284
09. Diocletian and the Reform of Empire
10. Constantine and the Conversion of Empire
11. The New Threat of Heresy
12. Theodosius and His Successors
13. The Fall of Rome
14. Rome After Rome

Who would be a Roman Emperor?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to be better than the print version?

No printed version; these are lectures.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A. These are lecture about history.

What about the narrator’s performance did you like?

Relaxed, informal, funny in a deadpan type of manner.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not necessarily, it covers over 600 years of history.

Any additional comments?

This must be the 5th or 6th lecture series from Professor Madden, and I loved each one. He is knowledgeable, tongue-in-cheek funny and makes history come alive.

Another Madden Hit

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very considered narration of an important subject in history. What I most enjoyed about this audio book was the amount of background knowledge on the Caesars who ruled Rome.
I would recommend this audio for anyone interested in the fall and fall of man's greatest empire.

Great insight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.