
The Roman Emperor Aurelian
Restorer of the World: New Revised Edition
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Narrated by:
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Keval Shah
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By:
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John F. White
Aurelian saved the Roman Empire from foreign invasion and collapse, earning him the title Restorer of the World from a grateful Senate. This is his story as restorer of the world.
The ancient Sibylline prophecies had foretold that the Roman Empire would last for 1000 years. As the time for the expected dissolution approached in the middle of the third century AD, the empire was lapsing into chaos, with seemingly interminable civil wars over the imperial succession. The western empire had seceded under a rebel emperor and the eastern empire was controlled by another usurper. Barbarians took advantage of the anarchy to kill and plunder all over the provinces. Yet within the space of just five years, the general, later emperor Aurelian had expelled all the barbarians from with the Roman frontiers, reunited the entire empire and inaugurated major reforms of the currency, pagan religion, and civil administration.
His accomplishments have been hailed by classical scholars as those of a superman, yet Aurelian himself remains little known to a wider audience. His achievements enabled the Roman Empire to survive for another two centuries, ensuring a lasting legacy of Roman civilization for the successor European states. Without Aurelian, the Dark Ages would probably have lasted centuries longer. This is a new, revised edition.
©2015 John. F. White (P)2023 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















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Good but Dry
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a good book about the 3 century crisis
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It's commonly understood that Diocletian and Constantine turned things around for Rome at the end of the third century, but White argues persuasively, that Rome might not have lasted long enough for Diocletian to save it without the brilliance of Aurelian. In five years, he returned stability to Rome with decisive victories over barbarian tribes, the Persians, and rebelling client states. He tried to fix the economy by improving the coinage. He began to reestablish the Pax Romana of old—and then his legionnaires murdered him. The question that arises from his brief but important reign was whether or not Diocletian would have been needed if Aurelian had survived to rule for fifteen or twenty years instead of five.
Great Account of a Crucial Period in Roman History
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Unlike the average academics who write about antiquity, the author has a strong, concise style (to the point, avoiding pontification). He lets us know very clearly where he is speculating and those speculations are always very reasonable. He embraces the role of biographer and storyteller, linking the information he’s presenting in an eminently coherent way. He isn’t trying to show off or waste ink like others. I only wish it was a little longer especially towards the middle and end, but this book has a lot of interesting detail as is.
A true Roman book for True Romans!
Near Perfect Biography of the Restitutor Orbis. True Romans will enjoy this. Goths might not.
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That said? There was way, way too much informations on/about coins, for me as The Listener. Their alloy content, how they’re being debased, how they’re being clipped, etc. and I found my eyes glazing over. If we are going to hear about things like coins and their inscriptions, the inscriptions on monuments, etc.? Please provide a PDF to help give some context.
Also, I would recommend listening to this book at 1.5 X speed. I know that sounds wicked fast, but it works. Try it at normal speed then amp it up and I think you will see what I mean.
I do not want to walk away without saying that I did learn from this book, I had pre-ordered it sometime ago and, on the whole, I am not disappointed. I simply wish it had been made either more compact or had provided more visual detail to help wade through some of the minutia.
Coins- Early and Often
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I can't express enough what a book like this means to those of us hungry for history's intimate details.
Fantastic deep dive, for those of us looking for more than encyclopedia entry
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Disjointed
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Loved the story, really disliked the narration
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Too much time talking about Roman coins.
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