Ancient Rome cover art

Ancient Rome

The Rise and Fall of an Empire

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Ancient Rome

By: Simon Baker
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

This is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before—awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid.

From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history: the spectacular collapse of the "free" republic, the birth of the age of the "Caesars", the violent suppression of the strongest rebellion against Roman power, and the bloody civil war that launched Christianity as a world religion.

At the heart of this account are the dynamic, complex, and flawed characters of some of the most powerful rulers in history: men such as Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, and Constantine. Putting flesh on the bones of these distant, legendary figures, Baker looks beyond the dusty, toga-clad caricatures and explores their real motivations and ambitions.

©2006 Simon Baker; foreword by Mary Beard copyright 2006 by Woodlands Books Ltd (P)2016 Tantor Ancient Rome Ancient History Middle Ages Italy War Ancient Greece

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician cover art
The Thirty Years War cover art
The Storm Before the Storm cover art
From Unseen Fire cover art
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire cover art
The Burgundians cover art
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World cover art
Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, and Scipio Africanus cover art
The Roman Republic: A Captivating Guide to the Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic, SPQR and Roman Politicians Such as Julius Caesar and Cicero cover art
Ten Caesars cover art
Nero cover art
Alexander the Great cover art
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 1 cover art
By the Spear cover art
Genesis cover art
The Roman Games: A Captivating Guide to the Gladiators, Chariot Races, and Games in Ancient Rome cover art

Critic reviews

"Well written, clear, and succinct." (Library Journal)
All stars
Most relevant
Very good introductory summary of the most important leaders and events from the early Republic to 476AD. The reigns are covered in engaging but concise detail, told in a way that really brings the figures to life, almost like a novelette. Though there are sizeable gaps between each selected emperor with many notables left out, the format fits the breadth well. Excellent for those with only a cursory knowledge and wanting a solid introduction and overview before going into greater depth. Very well narrated.

Very good overview,

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A concise, yet comprehensive overview of the history of Rome. Does not dwell too long on a particular era and offers balanced views and assessment of the sources available. Well read. I will definitely be listening to it again in full, in the future, having just completed it.

Worth more than one listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A history with a broad sweep, yet with fascinating details and strong connecting themes. Clear reading with some minor irritations over some disruptive metric:imperial conversions, which are a bit clunky - more a function of the text than the narration.

Comprehensive yet eminently listenable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you are interested in this subject then look no further. This book gives you the entire history from start to finish without a dull moment. The story is written in the feel of a novel, instead of it being a boring history lesson. It certainly provides all the information you could need, whilst simultaneously making these people from thousands of years ago feel alive and humanises them.

I would fully recommend this to anyone interested in this.

A fantastic history of Rome

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Effective way to get a good grounding in Roman history. The central section of the book is the strongest.

Very good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews