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Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar

Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar

  • Downloads：1986
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  • Create Date：2021-08-17 09:54:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tom Holland
  • ISBN：0349123837
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Author and historian Tom Holland returns to his roots in Roman history and the audience he cultivated with Rubicon—his masterful， witty， brilliantly researched popular history of the fall of the Roman republic—with Dynasty， a luridly fascinating history of the reign of the first five Roman emperors。
 
Dynasty continues Rubicon's story， opening where that book ended: with the murder of Julius Caesar。 This is the period of the first and perhaps greatest Roman Emperors and it's a colorful story of rule and ruination， running from the rise of Augustus through to the death of Nero。 Holland's expansive history also has distinct shades of I Claudius， with five wonderfully vivid （and in three cases， thoroughly depraved） Emperors—Augustus， Tiberius， Caligula， Claudius， and Nero—featured， along with numerous fascinating secondary characters。 Intrigue， murder， naked ambition and treachery， greed， gluttony， lust， incest， pageantry， decadence—the tale of these five Caesars continues to cast a mesmerizing spell across the millennia。

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Reviews

Guilrod ，

One if the best books I've ever read about the early days of the Roman Empire， the author has a knack for little details and really transports you to day to day Rome during Augustus， Tiberius， Caligula， Claudius and Nero's reigns， 100% recommended reading for any Roman Empire aficionados。 One if the best books I've ever read about the early days of the Roman Empire， the author has a knack for little details and really transports you to day to day Rome during Augustus， Tiberius， Caligula， Claudius and Nero's reigns， 100% recommended reading for any Roman Empire aficionados。 。。。more

Mariela ，

Kept losing attention but was a comprehensive and well written account of the House of Caesar。 From the the crude to political this was a great follow up to the Nero Exhibition at the British Museum。

Kara ，

As the saying goes， its exactly as it says on the tin - there's no new evidence or radical interpretation - its a solid biography of the house of Augustus Caesar， and how it rose and fell。 I was， I admit， a little bored when Augustus just plodded on for decades， building an empire of stability and marble， but really sat up and paid attention as the emperors grew more and more scandalous。 Call me a pleb， but I love me some juicy gossip about those at the top！ As the saying goes， its exactly as it says on the tin - there's no new evidence or radical interpretation - its a solid biography of the house of Augustus Caesar， and how it rose and fell。 I was， I admit， a little bored when Augustus just plodded on for decades， building an empire of stability and marble， but really sat up and paid attention as the emperors grew more and more scandalous。 Call me a pleb， but I love me some juicy gossip about those at the top！ 。。。more

Ellamae ，

Great history Story！！

Enrico ，

This book is about the first five Roman emperors。 The time of these five has it all: murder， conspirancy， madness， 。。。 It is a fascinating read。

Nick ，

4。5

Erika ，

The book is short， yes， but it's a great rainy day or escape book。 The book is short， yes， but it's a great rainy day or escape book。 。。。more

Wynona ，

Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go。 Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go。 。。。more

Teddy Dodger ，

Will hold off on star rating just coz it's possible I read in too much of a hurry。 Didn't feel like this was Holland's best Will hold off on star rating just coz it's possible I read in too much of a hurry。 Didn't feel like this was Holland's best 。。。more

Mayme ，

Hot！

Marge ，

Several twists and turns。

L。 Treadwell ，

The book took off and became extremely interesting。 Loved the book。 Looking forward to more。

Yvonne ，

This was excellent。 Not only was the subject matter fascinating， but Holland's writing style is superb and he wears his erudition lightly。 I read this as easily as I might read a novel。 What I particularly liked was the way Holland does not make 21st century value judgements but places the people and events of the first century in context。 Nowhere does he treat his readers as needing to have parallels to present day similarities and equivalents pointed out。 He treats his readers as sensible peop This was excellent。 Not only was the subject matter fascinating， but Holland's writing style is superb and he wears his erudition lightly。 I read this as easily as I might read a novel。 What I particularly liked was the way Holland does not make 21st century value judgements but places the people and events of the first century in context。 Nowhere does he treat his readers as needing to have parallels to present day similarities and equivalents pointed out。 He treats his readers as sensible people， perfectly able to see these for themselves。 This is a refreshing approach！ 。。。more

Phil Fisher ，

Tom Holland and his splendidis still our little secret， but eventually Holland will catch fire and have mega-sales。

Alexis Grenier ，

4。5-5Tom Holland is simply never boring。

Zac Curtis ，

Eloquently written and makes each emperor a protagonist and shows their good side。 Clearly one of the most intriguing political dynasties in History。

Dan ，

'Dynasty' has been described as the soap opera history of the Claudia era。 I found Holland's melodramatic prose detracted from the narrative rather than enhancing it。 I had to read Wikipedia in parralel。 'Dynasty' has been described as the soap opera history of the Claudia era。 I found Holland's melodramatic prose detracted from the narrative rather than enhancing it。 I had to read Wikipedia in parralel。 。。。more

Shubham Shinde ，

A rather lousy sequel to Holland's greatest "Rubicon"。 The era of Augustus is covered very well， with his political acumen and cultural direction he provided to the Empire， but the book fails to entertain in case of the other great Emperors。The reason could possibly lie in the fact that Late Republic had a much more interesting "cast" of characters- from the Gracchi brothers， to Sulla， Pompey， Caesar among others。 The Empire， OTOH， has either dejected or deranged men at the helm。 A rather lousy sequel to Holland's greatest "Rubicon"。 The era of Augustus is covered very well， with his political acumen and cultural direction he provided to the Empire， but the book fails to entertain in case of the other great Emperors。The reason could possibly lie in the fact that Late Republic had a much more interesting "cast" of characters- from the Gracchi brothers， to Sulla， Pompey， Caesar among others。 The Empire， OTOH， has either dejected or deranged men at the helm。 。。。more

Carolina Casas ，

Scandalous 。。。 As it should beNothing short of sensationalist， "DYNASTY" is a brilliantly written biography about one of the most scandalous Houses to eve rule their own world and establish the Empire that continues to be celebrated and fascinate us thousands of years after its inception， creation， and ultimately， its fall。 As a result， the author doesn't leave any stone unturned which is a good thing， or something to take as caution if you're new to this subject。 History isn't whitewashed， but Scandalous 。。。 As it should beNothing short of sensationalist， "DYNASTY" is a brilliantly written biography about one of the most scandalous Houses to eve rule their own world and establish the Empire that continues to be celebrated and fascinate us thousands of years after its inception， creation， and ultimately， its fall。 As a result， the author doesn't leave any stone unturned which is a good thing， or something to take as caution if you're new to this subject。 History isn't whitewashed， but neither are all of the written sources taken at face value。 Tom Holland does what a good historians does and that is assess， dissect and take into account various viewpoints and inform his readers。 。。。more

Zach ，

A fun， well-researched read on the Julian-Claudian dynasty。 Great historical analysis combined with superb storytelling。 Book includes many fantastical tales of opulence and savagery that is almost too much to believe。

Karen Yelton-Curtis ，

This book roughly parallels the Public Television series "I， Claudius" that aired years ago， but of course， the book is much more detailed。 It's a dense read but highly interesting -- be prepared to take periodic breaks that allow information to sink in。 The author included helpful features such as a timeline and a list of "dramatis personae" （essential to keeping track of all the players in Rome's increasingly dysfunctional government）。 I recommend "Dynasty" to those who like to dig into the de This book roughly parallels the Public Television series "I， Claudius" that aired years ago， but of course， the book is much more detailed。 It's a dense read but highly interesting -- be prepared to take periodic breaks that allow information to sink in。 The author included helpful features such as a timeline and a list of "dramatis personae" （essential to keeping track of all the players in Rome's increasingly dysfunctional government）。 I recommend "Dynasty" to those who like to dig into the details of ancient history and study intriguing personalities of the past。 。。。more

Stephen ，

SUMMARY - It cuts corners， but still make space in your hand luggage。 This populist history comes with layers， and it's morish。‐------------------------Tom Holland's books have that WH Smith's Bestseller airport display feeling。 Like the toblerone you guiltily stuff into your backpack （squashing the toothbrush to the bottom in the process）， you know it's going to be all too easy just to keep devouring it。 It reads like a gossip magazine and like the glinting gold of its cover art - which I do li SUMMARY - It cuts corners， but still make space in your hand luggage。 This populist history comes with layers， and it's morish。‐------------------------Tom Holland's books have that WH Smith's Bestseller airport display feeling。 Like the toblerone you guiltily stuff into your backpack （squashing the toothbrush to the bottom in the process）， you know it's going to be all too easy just to keep devouring it。 It reads like a gossip magazine and like the glinting gold of its cover art - which I do like - it's designed to catch the eye of the reader with a sweet tooth for an undemanding read。But as other reviewers have said， I think the easy reading belies hard writing。 This isn't just a biography of men-made-into-monsters， however much the portraits stand out from the page （Caligula， Nero， Claudius， Augustus， Germanicus， and not to mention the women such as Agrippina et al。）。 We get the politics or empire， which manages to outline the local terrain of the Germanic tribes， Gaul， British colonisation and Welsh/Icenic rebellions， Syria， Greece， and Egypt。 More， we get an elaboration of the problems of governance within Italy and Rome set out so well in Holland's first book， Rubicon。 The erosion of idealised civic 'virtue' and with it democracy and its institutional counterbalances is set out with a more-than-impressionistic sweep of the brush。 I didn't feel there was quite such a clearly articulated narrative thrust on any of these， perhaps because the hideous fascination of the emperors proves too compelling to ignore。 Each chapter is framed around the man （and their wives and mothers） who cast mesmeric power， and perhaps even more mesmeric weaknesses that often lead to their downfall。 I liked that Holland doesn't give total credence to the rumours or incest and other forms of debauchery， not least because smear tactics and grudges were the mainstays of Roman power politics。 The writer （or rumour-monger） controls the message。 Yet the rumours， like that lovely sugar-packed Swiss chocolate， are hard to put down。For readability this is a five， in a way that few histories manage。 Even if I didn't rate this quite as highly as Rubicon， it's a deft feat to combine unputdownable storytelling with the range of scope and scholarship that underpins the footnotes。The shortcuts make this book as readable as it is， and yes， passing WH Smiths in the airport I'd absolutely reach up for my fourth installment of a Holland-penned history。 There are certainly devils in the detail。 One of the pictures is credited to Wikipedia， which made me wonder how many other liberties Holland might have taken to make his task easier。 Similarly slapdash， quotes are chucked whole into paragraphs without any context or analysis; they spash into the water of words purely to make waves。 So too， the sources are there to see at the end， but their relative reliability are moored to the sidelines， and too rarely examined。 This is Popular， capital 'P'， and history small 'h'。 Don't necessarily trust everything that's said as being at face value， but if like me you want a carnivalesque introduction to ancient history full of life， human interest and broader scene-setting， go and make space alongside that toblerone - you won't regret it。 。。。more

Derrick ，

Another fascinating history by Mr。 Holland that reads like a novel。 This book painted a complete portrait of a period in history about which， unbeknownst to me， I previously possessed only the barest sketch。 Quite an enjoyable read。

Jamie Crutchley ，

Love Holland’s desire and ability to write memorable and engaging books on rather wide topics。 A true overview of the House of Julius that has pieced together many fragments in my mind of the era。

Marianne ，

4。5 stars！ I have to commend Holland's ability to not only condense a period of history heaped with such detail but to deliver it in such an entertaining manner。 Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar can be considered the sequel to his other book， Rubicon: The Last Years of the Republic。 This follows up the Ides of March and tracks the beginning of the Roman Empire and the family that ushered it in。 I highly recommend this to those who have read Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars （The 1 4。5 stars！ I have to commend Holland's ability to not only condense a period of history heaped with such detail but to deliver it in such an entertaining manner。 Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar can be considered the sequel to his other book， Rubicon: The Last Years of the Republic。 This follows up the Ides of March and tracks the beginning of the Roman Empire and the family that ushered it in。 I highly recommend this to those who have read Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars （The 12 Caesars） and found it incredibly challenging to keep track of the Julio-Claudian family tree。 While I had to constantly flip back to the family tree graph while reading Lives of the Caesars I had to do no such thing when reading this book。 Holland presents the family and its lineage in a clear and organic way that I had no trouble following who was who and who was related to who。 In the same vain as Rubicon， Dynasty is a narrative history so Holland does take certain liberties with regards to explaining the feelings or thought processes of the figures he's describing but the book remains grounded in fact and highly entertaining。 I'd even say this was even more entertaining than its predecessor。 If you're interested in learning about this particular period in Roman history I highly recommend Dynasty。 Not only are you given a nice overview of the time and the August family but you'll be certainly entertained along the way。 "Caesar and the state are one and the same。" 。。。more

CARLOS CABEZAS ，

6/10。El autor tiene la capacidad de narrar los acontecimientos históricos de forma amena con muchas referencias que en ocasiones se ven documentadas con las citas de los clásicos。Tiene ciertas lagunas， importantes como el no mencionar en un sólo momento a Virgilio y la Eneida。 Un fallo elemental， que si aplico al resto del periodo histórico que trata de unos cien años puede convertirse en múltiples omisiones。En muchas ocasiones no sigue un progreso lineal en los acontecimientos。

Fazal Ur Rehman ，

'Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar' by Tom Holland is the account of one of the most famous political dynasties to ever have ruled the world: The Julio-Claudian dynasty。 Packed with references， maps， genealogical charts and pictures， the book dissects the lives and reign of the first five emperors of the mighty Roman Empire: Augustus， Tiberius， Caligula， Claudius and， the infamous， Nero。 Pieced from the historical accounts of their contemporaries and historians， the book is writt 'Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar' by Tom Holland is the account of one of the most famous political dynasties to ever have ruled the world: The Julio-Claudian dynasty。 Packed with references， maps， genealogical charts and pictures， the book dissects the lives and reign of the first five emperors of the mighty Roman Empire: Augustus， Tiberius， Caligula， Claudius and， the infamous， Nero。 Pieced from the historical accounts of their contemporaries and historians， the book is written in such a lucid and captivating manner that it appears the book version of the Netflix docu-drama series， 'Roman Empire'。 We see Augustus， restoring the honor and might of Rome after the devastating Civil War that resulted in the fall of the Roman Republic and the assassination of Julius Caesar。 We witness how Tiberius is forced into becoming an emperor， and his gradual fall from being a noble roman into a ever suspicious despot。 We observe how Caligula， scarred by the exile and murder of most of his family， becoming into a creature obsessed with blood and carnal pleasures。 We follow Claudius， limp and sickly， ascending the throne， trying to survive the pit of vipers， Rome had become。 And finally we see the downfall and culmination of the dynasty with Nero， infamous for his debaucheries， persecution of early christians， murder of his close relatives and even the prime suspect for the burning of Rome。 The author describes how absolute power corrupts absolutely。 Deemed as god-like， the early Roman Emperors revelled in excesses。 On one hand building the Roman might and preserving almost a century of peace， and on the other， falling into decadence。 Sometimes you stand in awe at their works， sometimes you loathe them for their monstrosities， and sometimes， you sympathize with them as being a product of their times， tragedies and surroundings。 This is an excellent book for understanding what makes Roman Empire one of the most remarkable political entities to ever emerge on the global political horizon and also gives you insight into the culture and tradition of early Roman Empire。 Intriguing， interesting， and thoroughly enjoyable， I rate this book as 5 out of 5。 。。。more

Miaoky polo ，

Ho preferito di gran lunga "Fuoco persiano" Dello stesso autore Ho preferito di gran lunga "Fuoco persiano" Dello stesso autore 。。。more

Frank Peters ，

This was a very good book and as expected by this author also well written and engaging。 I am happy to have gone through this part of Roman history in detail， but at the same time I feel soiled just be reading about the depravity of too many of the main characters。 So 5 starts for the books quality， but much less for the inevitable content。

Andrew Lucas ，

Holland produces a highly engaging account of Rome from the civil war to Nero。 Sometimes I wonder if he is 'gilding the lily'， embellishing the available resources， which themselves are likely not averse to twisting the actual events。 Nonetheless， an accessible entre to this period of classical history。 Holland produces a highly engaging account of Rome from the civil war to Nero。 Sometimes I wonder if he is 'gilding the lily'， embellishing the available resources， which themselves are likely not averse to twisting the actual events。 Nonetheless， an accessible entre to this period of classical history。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0