Book Review of A Short History of Ancient Rome by Pascal Hughes
Reading A Short History of Ancient Rome by Pascal Hughes while enjoying the outdoors at Staunton River State Park in Virginia.
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BUY HERE: A Short History of Ancient Rome by Pascal Hughes
book stats:
352 pages, published November 11, 2025 (I received an Advanced Reading Copy)
you may enjoy this book if you like:
Ancient Roman History * Non-Fiction * European History
travel inspiration:
Rome! I decided to read this as a precursor to an upcoming trip to Rome to provide even greater context for what we’d see on the trip.
about the author: Pascal hughes
Pascal Hughes is founder of a podcast that focuses on content for lovers of history. A Short History of Ancient Rome is his first book.
review of a short history of ancient rome by pascal hughes
A Short History of Ancient Rome by Pascal Hughes is exactly what it purports to be. Hughes does an excellent job charting the history of Rome’s founding by Romulus in the eighth century BC to the date typically cited as the end of the Roman empire in 476 AD with the incursion of the Huns into the West of Europe.
It goes without saying that undertaking a ‘short history’ of a period of about 1200 years is a big task.
I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this work of non-fiction and was particularly attracted to it in light of an upcoming trip to Rome. I also have a better than average knowledge of ancient Rome. I spent four years in high school taking Latin, translating stories that were immersed in Roman legend and histories, and gaining familiarity with Roman customs and societal norms along the way. Beyond that, I enjoy history and have read many books that delve deeply into more specific eras of the Roman empire’s story.
What I have felt is lacking in my own knowledge is a macro view of how the story of Rome unfolded over time in a way where its progression made sense. Of course the Rome of its first few centuries was not the same as the Rome over a thousand years later. But in what ways did it change, why did it change, and why did it matter to where it headed next.
A Short History of Ancient Rome – over 350 pages – brought the rise and downfall into clear view in a way that was digestible.
How did Hughes accomplish this huge task? The story of Rome is split into 18 chapters that progress chronologically. Each one picks a moment in time that was important or meaningful – either because of a key ruler (e.g., Nero) or a key element (e.g., Pompeii’s destruction at the foot of Mount Vesuvius).
Then, because a good work of non-fiction needs to be engaging for a reader, Hughes utilized an interesting technique in writing each of these 18 chapters. He generally started with a compelling story from the viewpoint of a key character – for example, in the heat of an important battle. That immediately drew me in as a reader and made the ancient characters come to life. Then, Hughes pulled back a bit with an italicized section that helped broaden the aperture for what the reader should wonder about. From there, Hughes delved into a more typical telling of the history that drove the narrative to that story that unfolded at the beginning of the chapter. In each case, how this particular segment connected with the broader story was also clarified. Sprinkled throughout were embedded ‘side panel’ type descriptions of specific details that would be of interest to a reader: what were the four types of gladiators? What was the origin, purpose, and experience of Vestal Virgins?
It is hard to read about the rise and fall of a great empire without recognizing its internal flaws and failings that – from its beginning – may have set it on a course for disaster. I have always felt like Rome was a brutal place with endless killings of leaders, larger than life personalities, but also a vivid social and cultural life that left us both art and infrastructure that survive all these years later. While the book didn’t have the space to delve into every topic – like the true life of a plebian (i.e., commoner) – it did touch upon this at times and certainly took a larger, self-aware view of all that was missing in its postscript. Interestingly, the postscript also addressed the fact that of course Rome didn’t just stop suddenly one day – as a year of its fall would suggest – but it was a slow deterioration. Even then, the Eastern portion of Rome had strong days ahead and the Western half had set a foundation for brilliant Renaissance years later.
For anyone interested in a highly engaging survey-style course in ancient Rome, this is a fantastic place to start. I actually wish I had read this before reading some of the other books on Rome I’ve read, as it helps to place them at the right place in time.
Want to check this book out for yourself? BUY HERE: A Short History of Ancient Rome by Pascal Hughes
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