The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I
- Downloads：6675
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-22 10:52:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Edward Gibbon
- ISBN：0140433937
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Edward Gibbon's six-volume History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire （1776-88） is among the most magnificent and ambitious narratives in European literature。 Its subject is the fate of one of the world's greatest civilizations over thirteen centuries - its rulers， wars， and society， and the events that led to its disastrous collapse。 Here， in book one and two， Gibbon charts the vast extent and constitution of the Empire from the reign of Augustus to 395 AD。 And in a controversial critique， he examines the early Church， with fascinating accounts of the first Christian and last pagan emperors， Constantine and Julian。
This volume also includes updated further reading， a new chronology， appendices and notes。
This volume also includes updated further reading， a new chronology， appendices and notes。
Reviews
Stuart
，
1。5 Stars。 The definition of a slog。 Yes this is written well and is very informative but there’s no way， for me at least， to find this interesting as it just bombarded you with information putting little in chronological order and just goes on and on 。。。。。。。。。and on。 I like history but this very to much info too quickly and too dry。 About 90% of this when in one ear and out the other。 Unless you are already an expert on Roman history I can see no one else enjoying this at all。 Think I’ll do bet 1。5 Stars。 The definition of a slog。 Yes this is written well and is very informative but there’s no way， for me at least， to find this interesting as it just bombarded you with information putting little in chronological order and just goes on and on 。。。。。。。。。and on。 I like history but this very to much info too quickly and too dry。 About 90% of this when in one ear and out the other。 Unless you are already an expert on Roman history I can see no one else enjoying this at all。 Think I’ll do better to read other Roman history books that I’ve heard are less of a “relic” than this。 。。。more
Matthew Hunter
，
Is the loss of civic virtue the primary reason the Roman Empire fell？ Gibbon seems to think so。 It’s only Volume 1 of 8， leaving me plenty of time to consider the causes of decline。Apparently， Christians， Jews， and Muslims are presented as corrosive buffoons through much of Gibbon’s massive work。 He doesn’t get too vicious in Vol。 1， but his indictment of religion is coming。 I’m interested to hear his reasoning on the religion question， and to see if he crosses the line into anti-semitism and an Is the loss of civic virtue the primary reason the Roman Empire fell？ Gibbon seems to think so。 It’s only Volume 1 of 8， leaving me plenty of time to consider the causes of decline。Apparently， Christians， Jews， and Muslims are presented as corrosive buffoons through much of Gibbon’s massive work。 He doesn’t get too vicious in Vol。 1， but his indictment of religion is coming。 I’m interested to hear his reasoning on the religion question， and to see if he crosses the line into anti-semitism and anti-Islamism。 Does he treat paganism with kid gloves？ Probably。 Many critics have ripped Gibbon as an arrogant paganist with deliberately cultivated blind spots。 Vol。 2 and on should be fun。One thing I’m grateful for is how The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire， Vol。 1 provides interesting context for our current political situation。 As bad as Trump behaved in inciting division， most of the Roman emperors were even turdier turds， and it really wasn’t even close。 I feel sorry for the citizens of Ancient Rome。Gibbon may have been smug， but he sure could write an historical page-turner。 Whether you agree with his analysis or not， I suspect you’ll find his work entertaining。 Enjoy his catty margin notes！ 。。。more
Alex Grzymala
，
This one was a slog to get through， but I suppose that's what I get for choosing literature from the 18th century。 Given the limitations on true inquiry and exploration of the causation of history as a result of the grip Christianity held over society for so many centuries in the western world， it's pretty amazing that it wasn't until the 18th century that this first authentic review of the secular causes of the decline of one of the greatest civilizations in human history was able to be studied This one was a slog to get through， but I suppose that's what I get for choosing literature from the 18th century。 Given the limitations on true inquiry and exploration of the causation of history as a result of the grip Christianity held over society for so many centuries in the western world， it's pretty amazing that it wasn't until the 18th century that this first authentic review of the secular causes of the decline of one of the greatest civilizations in human history was able to be studied and published。 I'd like to eventually get through the other five volumes， but I'll add that task to the bucket list for now as I need a yearslong break。 。。。more
Filipa
，
Excepcional！
Denise
，
There can be no doubt that Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is， short of the ancient sources he draws upon， the classic work on its subject。 This first volume covers more than 200 years of tumultuous history， from 98AD until the rise of Christianity and move to the East under Constantine in the 4th Century， and provides a solid， engagingly written overview。 First published in 1776， it is of course a work of its time， with certain thoroughly outdated views inherent in the text。 （If I There can be no doubt that Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is， short of the ancient sources he draws upon， the classic work on its subject。 This first volume covers more than 200 years of tumultuous history， from 98AD until the rise of Christianity and move to the East under Constantine in the 4th Century， and provides a solid， engagingly written overview。 First published in 1776， it is of course a work of its time， with certain thoroughly outdated views inherent in the text。 （If I have to read one more passage about a woman that speaks of "the feebleness of her sex" and all that rot， I will scream！） That aside， however， it is no surprise that this work is still read today。 。。。more
Mark Porton
，
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon （Volume One） is a classic， definitive， heavy， credible account of this period of antiquity。 Initially， I was wary of embarking on this six-volume epic as Gibbon was strutting his stuff all the way back in the 1700’s。 For this reason， I expected his writing to be inaccessible， stuffy even。 But what a mistake on my part – his writing is so very understandable， and in fact， adds plenty to this wonderful subject matter。 It really does – I fou The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon （Volume One） is a classic， definitive， heavy， credible account of this period of antiquity。 Initially， I was wary of embarking on this six-volume epic as Gibbon was strutting his stuff all the way back in the 1700’s。 For this reason， I expected his writing to be inaccessible， stuffy even。 But what a mistake on my part – his writing is so very understandable， and in fact， adds plenty to this wonderful subject matter。 It really does – I found myself even reading some passages and then sitting there thinking – Wow， that was beautifully explained。 Really！！”The caprice of Hadrian influenced his choice of a successor。 After revolving in his mind several men of distinguished merit， whom he esteemed and hated， he adopted Verus， a gay and voluptuous nobleman， recommended by uncommon beauty to the lover of Antinous”That is so delicately， and perfectly put。Also， this， regarding my favourite Emperor， Trajan:”……above two hundred and fifty years after the death of Trajan， the senate， in pouring out customary acclamations on the accession of a new emperor， wished that he might surpass the felicity of Augustus， and the virtue of Trajan”How brilliant is that？ Couldn’t you read that all night long？Interestingly， this first volume commences with a fifty-page summary of the life of Gibbon。 This is a great way to start this book， understanding the man himself lends the reader an insight into why he chose Roman History as an important subject for him， his work on other periods of history and his personal life。 It helps us understand the way this book is written。Following the introduction Gibbon describes how the military is structured and how it functions， he also identifies the provinces （there’s a great map at the back of the book） and he spends some time describing certain aspects of the empire， such as the roads， trade， slaves， agriculture and much more – to provide the reader with a very， very brief snapshot of the place。Then we get stuck into the interesting bits – starting from the first emperor， Augustus in 27 BCE， we systematically go through each emperor all the way to the death of emperor Licinius in 324 CE， that’s almost SIXTY EMPERORS！！ A veritable feast of fun。 But the way Gibbon presents this isn’t by way of 57 neatly titled chapters – it just rolls on like one continuous story。 Yes， there are sections/chapters， but they’re not divided by rulers， more so by topics of interest – which also flows in chronological order。Gibbon completes this first volume with a wonderful introduction of the Progress of the Christian Religion， this sets us up nicely for the commencement of Volume Two – where we go to The conduct of the Roman Government towards the Christians， from Nero to Constantine。So， everything flows wonderfully。 It is difficult to knock off a hundred pages in a sitting because there is so much information。 I chose to read ten to fifteen pages just before I slept， after spending a few hours on my other （main） read – and it sets me off for a good night’s sleep， reflecting on the dramas of around eighteen hundred years ago。One other thing， there are no diagrams – perhaps his wonderful way of words means they’re not necessary， and each page contains numerous footnotes – detailing more information and the references used。 All of the references are what you’d expect including Dio， Tacitus， Livy， Suetonius， Historia Augusta （for what that is worth）， Herodian and many， many more – these footnotes are there for the serious historian。 The fundamentalist， the extremist – not for us hobby enthusiasts。I must stop this review now as I’ll bang on merrily for five hundred pages – this is so， so， so GOOD！5 Stars 。。。more
Steven Siswandhi
，
This thing is definitely not 600+ pages as it claims in the bio。 It's at least 1400 pages。 Although his portrayal might not be the most accurate on account of more recent evidences， Gibbon's writing has stood the test of time。 I really enjoyed his acerbic wit and sarcastic remarks。 His extensive and hilarious use of footnotes （the so called Gibbon table talk） is one of the first in its time。 His preference of primary sources is also one of the reasons why it's such an enduring work。There are man This thing is definitely not 600+ pages as it claims in the bio。 It's at least 1400 pages。 Although his portrayal might not be the most accurate on account of more recent evidences， Gibbon's writing has stood the test of time。 I really enjoyed his acerbic wit and sarcastic remarks。 His extensive and hilarious use of footnotes （the so called Gibbon table talk） is one of the first in its time。 His preference of primary sources is also one of the reasons why it's such an enduring work。There are many sections that gets boring but for the most part it reads like a literary version of a national geographic documentary。 You just sit down， start reading， and let Gibbon's authoritative and complex sentences do the talk。This book is controversial when it came out due to its attack on Christianity on Chapter 15-16， as well as the not-so friendly treatment of Orthodoxy in Chapter 20-21。 He claimed that 1。 The number of martyrs in the early church is not as high as it was often claimed。 As far as I know， Gibbon's position nowadays is the consensus among scholars。 2。 The battle between Orthodoxy （Athanasius） and Arianism is not a lopsided affair。 Gibbon did a great job on discussing the details。 I never knew that Orthodoxy's ultimate victory took many years and there was some time when you might think Arianism （or even paganism！） might dominate。 History is clear with the benefit of hindsight。 Although here one could certainly criticize Gibbon for his enlightenment/anti-religious bias。 Now that I think about it， probably the Chinese government has a lot to learn from ancient Rome if they want to deal with the rise of Christianity properly。 The more you try to destroy it， the more it will grow。 If destruction is the purpose， best way is to let the church be divided against itself with its many denominations， just like what Emperor Julian tried to do （although his superstitions and preference for Paganism later proves to be his undoing）。It's such a shame that the rationalism of Cicero and Tacitus didn't dominate among the wider populace。 But that would be too much to ask。 It also shows the contradiction of the beliefs of those days - Julian's paganism is no less superstitious than the worst strands of religion that he wants to destroy。 Not even his philosophical bent of his idol Marcus Aurelius that he always tries to emulate could rescue him from there。 I also like the way he depicts the characters。 My favorite is Emperor Julian （who's covered in some detail）。 Constantine is really cruel and brutal （although he's such an able military commander）。 There also many emperors who are virtuous and kind， but they wore the purple at the wrong time and came to a brutal end。 Sometimes the world is unfair。 The seat of the Roman Emperor is the ultimate hot seat。 If you don't know what you're doing， it will get you killed。The book ends with some discussion on the barbarians - Huns， Visigoth。 It's very similar to China's struggle with the Mongols。 Anyway， it might not be the most economical book to read because it will take a lot of time！ But you will be struck by the elegance of its prose and the commonsensical judgment that Gibbon has。 。。。more
Wayne Jordaan
，
I admire the scope of the research and and the ability of the author in bringing to light a history hundreds of years before his time。 I detested however the racist sentiments （"a metaphysical religion may appear too refined for the capacity of the negro race"）， coming from a researcher who should have realised by then the folly of sweeping generalisations based on ethnic origin。 I admire the scope of the research and and the ability of the author in bringing to light a history hundreds of years before his time。 I detested however the racist sentiments （"a metaphysical religion may appear too refined for the capacity of the negro race"）， coming from a researcher who should have realised by then the folly of sweeping generalisations based on ethnic origin。 。。。more
Yann Roshdy
，
Un classique qui nous aide à mieux comprendre les démocraties libérales; la mythologie occidentale et son histoire。
Megan
，
Very readable for its age， this exhaustive work manages to be primarily an overview of Roman history。 Gibbons tries to cover so much ground that there just isn’t room for fine details or to really paint scenes and bring the history alive， even in all this length。 He does seem to have a gift for treating historical figures as people - they seem real， as if Gibbons is talking about people he knows in the neighborhood in the same way he talks about Roman emperors。 There is， unfortunately， a lot of Very readable for its age， this exhaustive work manages to be primarily an overview of Roman history。 Gibbons tries to cover so much ground that there just isn’t room for fine details or to really paint scenes and bring the history alive， even in all this length。 He does seem to have a gift for treating historical figures as people - they seem real， as if Gibbons is talking about people he knows in the neighborhood in the same way he talks about Roman emperors。 There is， unfortunately， a lot of fairly passive voice and tone， with a lot of sweeping generalizations， but the overall voice of the work has a sort of soothing， almost conversational quality that makes this a pleasant ride through history。 。。。more
Truls Ljungström
，
Detta är en intensiv bok， som är lika rafflande och karaktärsdriven som en roman; när man väl trängt igenom de första 5o sidorna， som snarare är författarens sätt att skriva av sig besvikelsen på hur Rom föll， än en beskrivning av det。 För mig var det en glad överraskning， eftersom jag har hört mycket negativt och väldigt lite positivt om Gibbons sätt att skriva。 Fokus i boken ligger snarare på kejserliga hovintriger och tal till Pretoriangardet， än på stora slag。 Detta gör det till en annorlund Detta är en intensiv bok， som är lika rafflande och karaktärsdriven som en roman; när man väl trängt igenom de första 5o sidorna， som snarare är författarens sätt att skriva av sig besvikelsen på hur Rom föll， än en beskrivning av det。 För mig var det en glad överraskning， eftersom jag har hört mycket negativt och väldigt lite positivt om Gibbons sätt att skriva。 Fokus i boken ligger snarare på kejserliga hovintriger och tal till Pretoriangardet， än på stora slag。 Detta gör det till en annorlunda läsning。 Det rent militära står tillbaka för de ekonomiska aspekterna， som hur roms beskattningssystem i princip krossade dess provinsbefolking， och hur slaveriet urholkade deras innovationsduglighet， och de kulturella d:o， såsom vad som rädsla för offentlig förföljelse gör för ett folks psyke。 I mitt tycke är det en förbättring。 Genier som Trajanus ges fortfarande utrymme att glänsa i militära frågor， men mellannivån， som Tiberius eller Maximinus Thrax analyseras snare som mediokra statsmän än som goda generaler， även om även den aspekten noteras。 Jag rekommenderar den varmt för alla former av samhällsvetare och historienördar。 。。。more
Michael Finocchiaro
，
One of the monuments of the Enlightenment and one of the greatest works of history in English， Gibbon's iconic Decline and Fall is a pleasure to read and a treasure chest of information。 While it is true that it was written before the end of the 18th century and there have been 1000s of archeological discoveries since then， the overall story and theory still captivates and convinces the reader。 One is obliged to look past Gibbon's aristocratic bent for preferring enlightened autocracy and fearin One of the monuments of the Enlightenment and one of the greatest works of history in English， Gibbon's iconic Decline and Fall is a pleasure to read and a treasure chest of information。 While it is true that it was written before the end of the 18th century and there have been 1000s of archeological discoveries since then， the overall story and theory still captivates and convinces the reader。 One is obliged to look past Gibbon's aristocratic bent for preferring enlightened autocracy and fearing rabble democracy as well as his very English （and truly white European） bias against Africans （whether the "brutish tribes" of North Africa or the "savages" south of the Sahara） and the various Gothic tribes， while remembering that he was a product of his times and also that， despite this unfortunate bias， he still has positive things to say about the more notable personalities that emerge from these populations as they merge with his story。 The most controversial aspect in this first third of his work are chapters 16 and 17 about Christianity。 Gibbon himself wavered on the question of Christianity， having converted to Catholicism and back to Anglicism in his youth。 He is rather judgmental， yet in my opinion justifiable， about the impact of the christianization of the Empire following the reign of Constantine which he attributes as one of the causes for the decline and fall。 Personally， I found it enlightening how the stories of martyrs were exaggerated for political and religious currency during the 10th to 13th centuries because， in fact， the persecution of Christians was not as systematic or wide-spread as some would like us to believe。 In fact， the empire was incredibly accepting of different belief systems because otherwise， it could never have absorbed such a massive and diverse empire from the Black Sea to the Atlantic。 There were some particularly bad emperors， but the local governors could push back and often it was bad business to kill off Christian （and Jewish） merchants。 Also， recent research has proven that Nero was not present in Rome when it burnt and never played the fiddle as popular legend would like us to believe。 The subsequent burning of Christians as candles was not as much a systemic oppression as a scapegoat to hide his own culpability having been absent on vacation during the crisis; it was simply easier to blame Christians （and Jews）， than to admit to his own negligence。 But， it was short lived and in fact there were several Christians who continued to have high positions in his government and that of his many successors。 The first part of the Decline ends more or less with several chapters about the Empire at the time of Constantine and leads into part two with the successors of Constantine and the Gothic Wars。 I HIGHLY recommend reading the unabridged version despite its length because it is just such a magnificent writing style with humor， sarcasm and wonderful turns of phrase。 A true masterpiece。 。。。more
Francisco
，
La opinión de Jorge Luis Borges sobre este libro es muy superior a la mia。 Así que mejor copiar y pegar:Las propias deficiencias， o， si se quiere， abstenciones de Gibbon， son favorables a la obra。 Si ésta hubiera sido escrita en función de tal o cual teoría， la aprobación o desaprobación del lector dependerían del juicio que la tesis pudiera merecerle。 Tal no es， ciertamente， el caso de Gibbon。 Fuera de aquella prevención contra el sentimiento religioso en general y contra la fe cristiana en par La opinión de Jorge Luis Borges sobre este libro es muy superior a la mia。 Así que mejor copiar y pegar:Las propias deficiencias， o， si se quiere， abstenciones de Gibbon， son favorables a la obra。 Si ésta hubiera sido escrita en función de tal o cual teoría， la aprobación o desaprobación del lector dependerían del juicio que la tesis pudiera merecerle。 Tal no es， ciertamente， el caso de Gibbon。 Fuera de aquella prevención contra el sentimiento religioso en general y contra la fe cristiana en particular que declara en ciertos famosos capítulos， Gibbon parece abandonarse a los hechos que narra y los refleja con una divina inconsciencia que lo asemeja al ciego destino， al propio curso de la historia。El buen sentido y la ironía son costumbres de Gibbon。 Tácito alaba la reverencia de los germanos， que no encerraron a sus dioses entre paredes y que no se atrevieron a figurarlos en madera o en mármol; Gibbon se limita a observar que mal podían tener templos o estatuas quienes apenas tenían chozas。 En lugar de escribir que no hay confirmación alguna de los milagros que divulga la Biblia， Gibbon censura la imperdonable distracción de aquellos paganos que， en sus largos catálogos de prodigios， nada nos dicen de la luna y del sol， que detuvieron todo un día su curso， o del eclipse y del terremoto que acompañaron la muerte de Jesús。。。。La obra de Gibbon sigue incólume y es verosímil conjeturar que no la tocarán las vicisitudes del porvenir。 Dos causas colaboran en esta perduración。 La primera y quizá la más importante， es de orden estético; estriba en el encanto， que， según Stevenson， es la imprescindible y esencial virtud de la literatura。 La otra razón estribaría en el hecho， acaso melancólico， de que al cabo del tiempo， el historiador se convierte en historia y no sólo nos importa saber cómo era el campamento de Atila sino cómo podía imaginárselo un caballero inglés del siglo XVIII。 。。。more
Randy Reigstad
，
Very Long but very informative。 Some day's you have grit your teeth and read on。 I found an Audible Book that followed the book so I was able o listen while I read， sometime getting lost in footnotes， but it helped me to concentrate。 I've read all six volumes。 I was listening to Professor on Great Courses + say you need to read it twice to really understand it， not in my lifetime I 'am 82。 Very Long but very informative。 Some day's you have grit your teeth and read on。 I found an Audible Book that followed the book so I was able o listen while I read， sometime getting lost in footnotes， but it helped me to concentrate。 I've read all six volumes。 I was listening to Professor on Great Courses + say you need to read it twice to really understand it， not in my lifetime I 'am 82。 。。。more
Alba
，
Wow， I can't believe I finished this whole audiobook in time - this super long 23 hr audiobook was due back tonight by midnight and even though Ive had it for awhile and been listening to it， it took a long long time。 And this is just Volume one （of 6！）。To me， the "fall" of the Roman Empire can really be summed up in one or two words: Monothesism。 Christianity。 18th century historian Edward Gibbon tries to detail the "fall" of the Roman Empire， which he takes 6 books to do （admittedly going thro Wow， I can't believe I finished this whole audiobook in time - this super long 23 hr audiobook was due back tonight by midnight and even though Ive had it for awhile and been listening to it， it took a long long time。 And this is just Volume one （of 6！）。To me， the "fall" of the Roman Empire can really be summed up in one or two words: Monothesism。 Christianity。 18th century historian Edward Gibbon tries to detail the "fall" of the Roman Empire， which he takes 6 books to do （admittedly going through the Eastern Roman Empire until that is ended by the ruthless Ottoman invasion。） This first volume covers most of the history of the traditional original Roman Empire， and is more a history of the empire， emperors and its expansions than a detailed analysis of why it fell。 Gibbon spends a lot of time on the emperors， and not just the famous ones。 Even the little known guys who ruled for just a few months will get a few pages。 There is quite a lot of detail here and I won't pretend to have retained the vast majority of it by listening on audiobook - hence a purchase of a cheap copy of a summary。 Some of the customs， traditions， economy， architecture and daily life are talked about but less than I would have wanted or expected of a book if written today。 Gibbon， however， is a traditional historian and he focus largely of on leaders and battles， unt the end chapters， when he turns in detail to discuss the rise of Christianity。 It was certainly interesting and I did learn a lot but likely less than if I were reading and able to give my full attention。 But this is a massive tome of hard core history text so it might not be for everyone。 。。。more
Aaron Cliff
，
I don't know if someone told him you don't have to put an adverb in front of every verb， if they did he certainly paid them no heed。 I don't know if someone told him you don't have to put an adverb in front of every verb， if they did he certainly paid them no heed。 。。。more
Sam Levine
，
The best book I ever read。 The unabridged Penguin Classic Edition separates all six volumes into three volumes。 This book gives you the history of everything geographically from England to Iran for a thousand years。 From first century AD to the fall of Constantinople。 Even though it was written in 1776 （and rumored to have inspired the founding fathers to revolution） it has the progressive perspective of a modern liberal， if not radical。 The language is dense and flowing， but also incredibly cle The best book I ever read。 The unabridged Penguin Classic Edition separates all six volumes into three volumes。 This book gives you the history of everything geographically from England to Iran for a thousand years。 From first century AD to the fall of Constantinople。 Even though it was written in 1776 （and rumored to have inspired the founding fathers to revolution） it has the progressive perspective of a modern liberal， if not radical。 The language is dense and flowing， but also incredibly clear once you get into the rhythm of perfect 18th century writing。 If this book seems too daunting for you， consider putting it in your bathroom and reading it while in there。 Your time spent in the bathroom will be incredibly well spent and you will be the better person for having read it。 Truly the greatest work of history in the English language， if not the entire world。 。。。more
Darian Onaciu
，
Better than Game of Thrones！
Dayla
，
Though I was chided by a West Point Professor for mentioning the book at all for its false content， I thought I was safe in a group of college professors。 But aside from this random outburst， I've prided myself on learning much （and yes some of its history has been proven inaccurate） but it should stop no one in reading this entertaining and outline revealing book from 1776。 Though I was chided by a West Point Professor for mentioning the book at all for its false content， I thought I was safe in a group of college professors。 But aside from this random outburst， I've prided myself on learning much （and yes some of its history has been proven inaccurate） but it should stop no one in reading this entertaining and outline revealing book from 1776。 。。。more
Becky
，
Fascinating。 Particularly in light of the current political climate。 I loved Gibbon’s side comments。
Caro
，
At its best， Gibbon's prose is soaring and magisterial; at its most challenging （for who am I to call it his worst？）， it's confusing or at least dense， e。g。， "The progress of domestic faction abated the more diffusive sentiment of national animosity。。。" It did help when I realized he used "intestine" where we would now say "internal，" and there are many other archaisms that stopped me in my tracks from time to time。 The zillions of factions of the early Christian church made my eyes swim， and th At its best， Gibbon's prose is soaring and magisterial; at its most challenging （for who am I to call it his worst？）， it's confusing or at least dense， e。g。， "The progress of domestic faction abated the more diffusive sentiment of national animosity。。。" It did help when I realized he used "intestine" where we would now say "internal，" and there are many other archaisms that stopped me in my tracks from time to time。 The zillions of factions of the early Christian church made my eyes swim， and the incremental diferences between the Homoousians and the Homoiousians were lost on me。Gibbon was a man of his time， so be prepared for his descriptions of most people outside of Europe as depraved， lazy， and ugly。 And the Romans were men of their time， so be prepared for the most outrageous tortures， slaughters of people and of animals， and murders of one emperor after another。 Maybe Pinker is right， and the world has become less violent over the centuries。But when Gibbon is good， he is so good。 Give him a character he admires， such as Julian or Constantine， and he becomes a terrific storyteller who can also tell us how his hero fails。 His recounting of the rise of the Huns/Goths/Saxons made me want to learn more about these people。 I tried to read this for the sweep of history， and almost succeeded。This edition has several lovely features， the first being the etchings by Piranesi。 The buildings are ruined， enormous， tragic， and the people are almost insignificant as they scramble among broken marble columns in their tricorn hats and breeches。 In addition to the headers on every page （"Carinus deficient in character，" "Pestilence promised unbelievers，" "Regalia replaces philosopher's cloak"）， the footnotes are inserted in the margins， making them easy to find。 I need to take a break， but before too long I'll be on to the second volume。 。。。more
Fraser Kinnear
，
Like philosophy or theology， the best historical writing is made of lessons its audience can learn and grow from。 And while philosophy， and the best theology， focus on first principles， the lessons of history are constituted from examples。 Hopefully not entirely stripped of necessary context， here’s a catalog of the lessons I gleaned from Gibbons， from this first volume， starting with the parade of emperors， and the political lessons of their lives:Augustus on hiding power: “The masters of the R Like philosophy or theology， the best historical writing is made of lessons its audience can learn and grow from。 And while philosophy， and the best theology， focus on first principles， the lessons of history are constituted from examples。 Hopefully not entirely stripped of necessary context， here’s a catalog of the lessons I gleaned from Gibbons， from this first volume， starting with the parade of emperors， and the political lessons of their lives:Augustus on hiding power: “The masters of the Roman world surrounded their throne with darkness， concealed their irresistible strength， and humbly professed themselves the accountable ministers of the senate， whose supreme decrees they dictated and obeyed” Commodus destroying rule of law and exposing ambition and corruption: “Most of the crimes which disturb the internal peace of society， are produced by the restraints which the necessary but unequal laws of property have imposed on the appetites of mankind， by confining to a few the possession of those objects that are coveted by many。” Pertinax underestimating the difficulty of overturning corrupt interests: “His honest indiscretion united against him the servile crowd， who found their private benefit in the public disorders， and who preferred the favor of a tyrant to the inexorable equality of the laws。” Severus dangerously destroying political norms in the interest of power: “The contemporaries of Severus in the enjoyment of the peace and glory of his reign， forgave the cruelties by which it had been introduced。 Posterity， who experienced the fatal effects of his maxims and example， justly considered him as the principal author of the decline of the Roman empire。” Severus losing control of his own strategy when he tried to hand it off to its inheritors “Placed in the same situation， he experienced how easily the rigor of a judge dissolves away in the tenderness of a parent。 He deliberated， he threatened， but he could not punish; and this last and only instance of mercy was more fatal to the empire than a long series of cruelty。” Maximin’s foolish sacrifice of long-term strategy for short-term gain: “After the murder of Alexander Severus， and the elevation of Maximin， no emperor could think himself safe upon the throne， and every barbarian peasant of the frontier might aspire to that august， but dangerous station” Claudius’s example of how success can be snapped from the jaws of defeat “By the most signal victories he delivered the empire from this host of barbarians， and was distinguished by posterity under the glorious appellation of the Gothic Claudius” Probus’s despair for the tragic nature of leadership “In thus exalting me to the throne， you have doomed me to a life of cares， and to an untimely fate。 The only consolation which remains is the assurance that I shall not fall alone。” Diocletian’s strategy to establish stability from division and policy strength from bureaucratic inertia “He divided the empire， the provinces， and every branch of the civil as well as military administration。 He multiplied the wheels of the machine of government， and rendered its operations less rapid， but more secure。” Constantine’s long decline into weakness after a vigorous youth “The same timid policy， of dividing whatever is united， of reducing whatever is eminent， of dreading every active power， and of expecting that the most feeble will prove the most obedient， seems to pervade the institutions of several princes， and particularly those of Constantine。” OR “A secret but universal decay was felt in every part of the public administration， and the emperor himself， though he still retained the obedience， gradually lost the esteem， of his subjects。 The dress and manners， which， towards the decline of life， he chose to affect， served only to degrade him in the eyes of mankind。” Julian’s demonstration that performance and storytelling overcome any political obstacle “The precarious and dependent situation of Julian displayed his virtues and concealed his defects。 The young hero who supported， in Gaul， the throne of Constantius， was not permitted to reform the vices of the government; but he had courage to alleviate or to pity the distress of the people。 Unless he had been able to revive the martial spirit of the Romans， or to introduce the arts of industry and refinement among their savage enemies， he could not entertain any rational hopes of securing the public tranquillity， either by the peace or conquest of Germany。 Yet the victories of Julian suspended， for a short time， the inroads of the Barbarians， and delayed the ruin of the Western Empire。” Beyond political lessons from biography， Gibbons also characterizes other universal behaviors， like restless CEO syndrome “It is seldom that minds long exercised in business have formed any habits of conversing with themselves， and in the loss of power they principally regret the want of occupation。” Or our seemingly irrational but sustained belief in inheritance， which today applies more to wealth than to power: “The ideas of inheritance and succession are so very familiar， that the generality of mankind consider them as founded not only in reason but in nature itself。 Our imagination readily transfers the same principles from private property to public dominion: and whenever a virtuous father leaves behind him a son whose merit seems to justify the esteem， or even the hopes， of the people， the joint influence of prejudice and of affection operates with irresistible weight。” Or the limitations of philosophy in contrast to religion: “Since therefore the most sublime efforts of philosophy can extend no further than feebly to point out the desire， the hope， or， at most， the probability， of a future state， there is nothing， except a divine revelation， that can ascertain the existence and describe the condition， of the invisible country which is destined to receive the souls of men after their separation from the body。” Or the limitations of law， as demonstrated time and again in this book， but summarized nicely here: “But the operation of the wisest laws is imperfect and precarious。 They seldom inspire virtue， they cannot always restrain vice。 Their power is insufficient to prohibit all that they condemn， nor can they always punish the actions which they prohibit。” And while he doesn’t identify it as such， Gibbons sums up perfectly the distinctions between Classical Greek and Classical Roman culture: “There are two very natural propensities which we may distinguish in the most virtuous and liberal dispositions， the love of pleasure and the love of action。 If the former is refined by art and learning， improved by the charms of social intercourse， and corrected by a just regard to economy， to health， and to reputation， it is productive of the greatest part of the happiness of private life。 The love of action is a principle of a much stronger and more doubtful nature。 It often leads to anger， to ambition， and to revenge; but when it is guided by the sense of propriety and benevolence， it becomes the parent of every virtue， and if those virtues are accompanied with equal abilities， a family， a state， or an empire may be indebted for their safety and prosperity to the undaunted courage of a single man。” And in the long annals of “no idea comes out of a vacuum”， here’s Gibbons anticipating Nietzsche’s slave morality criticism of Christianity: “When Christianity was introduced among the rich and the polite， the observation of these singular laws was left， as it would be at present， to the few who were ambitious of superior sanctity。 But it is always easy， as well as agreeable， for the inferior ranks of mankind to claim a merit from the contempt of that pomp and pleasure which fortune has placed beyond their reach。” As an enlightenment author， Gibbons is characteristically critical of Christianity。 In a statement that’s probably true about any religion that grasps for power while also advertising a belief in non-violence: “From the imperious declamations of Cyprian， we should naturally conclude that the doctrines of excommunication and penance formed the most essential part of religion; and that it was much less dangerous for the disciples of Christ to neglect the observance of the moral duties， than to despise the censures and authority of their bishops。” Not that Gibbons believed Christians ever held to their tenants of non-violence “We shall conclude this chapter by a melancholy truth， which obtrudes itself on the reluctant mind; that even admitting， without hesitation or inquiry， all that history has recorded， or devotion has feigned， on the subject of martyrdoms， it must still be acknowledged， that the Christians， in the course of their intestine dissensions， have inflicted far greater severities on each other， than they had experienced from the zeal of infidels” But these are common enough ideas that maybe only serve as interesting milestones in the history of free-thinking。 Gibbons does， however， have some truly novel （at least for me） opinions about Christianity。 Namely， why was it so successful？ His theory is that Christianity filled a vacuum of belief left by the erosion of a tired incumbent religion: “The accidental circumstances of their life and situation determined the object as well as the degree of their devotion; and as long as their adoration was successively prostituted to a thousand deities， it was scarcely possible that their hearts could be susceptible of a very sincere or lively passion for any of them… Those who are inclined to pursue this reflection， instead of viewing with astonishment the rapid progress of Christianity， will perhaps be surprised that its success was not still more rapid and still more universal。” 。。。more
Jon
，
Fascinating as a history of Rome， but also as a key text of the 1700s。 Would recommend。
Lee Scoresby
，
Long， but pretty amazing， considering it was written in the eighteenth century。 The worst moment for me came when I thought I was done， and saw "End of volume I" at the bottom of the last page。 Then I discovered there were four more volumes。 Sigh。 Long， but pretty amazing， considering it was written in the eighteenth century。 The worst moment for me came when I thought I was done， and saw "End of volume I" at the bottom of the last page。 Then I discovered there were four more volumes。 Sigh。 。。。more
Fazlı
，
Kendine özgün dili ve anlatım tekniği ile Roma imparatorluğunda bir serüvene çıkmak istiyorsaniz aradığınız kitap kesinlikle bu。 Ayrıca yalin ve okuması kolay tarzı ile giriş kitabı olarak da kullanılabilir。
Daniel Bertz
，
I have not finished this a it will probably take many more years。 It is definitely not easy and fun like modern popular history books but informative non the less and has it moments of irony and humor
Arnis
，
https://poseidons99。wordpress。com/202。。。 https://poseidons99。wordpress。com/202。。。 。。。more
Dan
，
Very well written and readable。 Good insights into the causes of the decline of the Roman Empire。 Gibbon also gives background on the surrounding cultures （barbarians）。 （I only read the first volume。）There are many emperors to cover and yet Gibbon does a good job of giving the reader a feeling of the psychology of the most important ones。Gibbon has his prejudices: that the Romans were superstitious， that Christianity is the true philosophy， that Western European （soldiers） are masculine whereas Very well written and readable。 Good insights into the causes of the decline of the Roman Empire。 Gibbon also gives background on the surrounding cultures （barbarians）。 （I only read the first volume。）There are many emperors to cover and yet Gibbon does a good job of giving the reader a feeling of the psychology of the most important ones。Gibbon has his prejudices: that the Romans were superstitious， that Christianity is the true philosophy， that Western European （soldiers） are masculine whereas Middle Eastern （soldiers） are effeminate。 Gibbon is writing from the "Age of Reason" （mid 1700s） and so approaches his subject very "scientifically"。 By that， I mean materialistically。This gets him into trouble with his Christian contemporaries who accused him of being too "historical" when describing the early Christian church。 Apparently Gibbon did not give enough weight to miracles in describing the growth of Christianity。 In fact， although he briefly mentions miracles， it seems that he really doesn't believe in them。 。。。more
Paschalis
，
elibrary
Jose
，