Finding out about the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire: a Very Short Introduction is a book that leaves many questions unanswered. There is no overall attempt at any chronological account, which is fine, but the events that are described are incomplete, and the other topics that are covered are sometimes of questionable relevance; I assume, given the title, that the theme is the Roman Empire, rather than just ancient Rome. The author only has some 130 pages, which he chooses to divide into just 20 pages for history and events, followed by six thematic chapters.

The first chapter, which gives in very concise form (less than 20 pages) an analysis of the assassination of Julius Caesar and states this event was not the real foundation of the Roman Republic; instead, it took place earlier, at “the foundation of an empire under the Republic” – it would be good if the author told us when this took place. In fact, the rest of the book after chapter one was for me something of a non-event, since the questions raised in that chapter were not followed up. Once the author has revealed that the murder of Caesar is not the restoration of democracy but simply a minor event in a power struggle between leading families, the subsequent Empire rather loses interest. Knowing how Pliny praised the emperor Trajan when addressing him is fairly predictable stuff – it is unlikely, after all, that any commentator would condemn the Emperor to their face.

As for the end of the Roman Empire, this is not really covered at all. There is a mention of Gibbon as “the best account” (p3), but no attempt to explain why the Empire ended. The result is tantalizing, just enough to convince us that the author knows his stuff, but not enough to answer the questions sufficiently. It’s not even clear when the Empire ends. There is a chronology at the back that goes as far as 192, but there is no explanation in the book why 192 might indicate any kind of ending. Elsewhere in the text, the conversion of Constantine to Christianity is included, which took place in 312. But there is no more explanation of why 312 an end date for the Empire might be than there was for 192.

There is an interesting chapter on the rise of Christianity. Kelly claims that the Romans could have dealt more effectively with Christians by confiscating their books than by creating martyrs, but to be honest, neither really answers the question we all have of why the Empire ended: did the rise of Christianity put an end to the Empire? We aren’t told.

One aspect that is covered very effectively is the nature of Roman rule. This was a military occupation, and any rebellion or opposition was ruthlessly crushed; according to one account, 985 villages were destroyed in suppressing the Jewish Revolt. Yet, the author points out, 19th-century British commentators described the Roman Empire in glowing terms as “the maintenance of a wonderfully high standard of internal peace and order”, comparing it with a similarly fictitious peace in the British Empire in India.

There is an excellent chapter (chapter 4) on the Roman love affair with all things Greek, which is fascinating, but not very central to the Empire; then there is a chapter called Living and Dying, that devotes several pages to life expectancy at the time; hardly relevant to the success or failure of the Empire. It also includes some questionable statements, such as that each woman in the Empire needed to have “at least five children” to maintain the population (p107). Since the Empire did not collapse because there weren’t enough people, this is not very useful.

All in all, certainly a Very Short Introduction, but one that could have organised its space more effectively.