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The Eagle and the Lion

Rome, Persia and an Unwinnable Conflict

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The Eagle and the Lion

By: Adrian Goldsworthy
Narrated by: Mark Elstob
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About this listen

The epic story of the imperial rivalry between two of the greatest empires of the ancient world—Parthian and Persian—and how they rose and eventually fell.

The Roman empire shaped the culture of the Western world against which all other great powers are compared. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale.

However, the exception lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the place Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest which tantalized Greeks and Romans alike. Caesar, Mark Antony and a long succession of emperors longed to follow in Alexander's footsteps. All failed. Only here did the Roman empire slow down and eventually stop because it was unable to go any further.

Following seven centuries of conflict that, ultimately, neither Rome nor Persia would win, The Eagle and the Lion delves into the clash, context and journeys of these entities of great power and the people caught in their wider struggle.

©2023 Adrian Goldsworthy (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd Civilization World Ancient History Rome Ancient Greece
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Why oh why? does he continually refer to the Arabian Gulf. There is no such place but there is a place which has always been called the PERSIAN Gulf

Excellent history of this conflict

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This is one the most interesting lectures that beautifully gives details of the 2 great empires of the ancient times. I enjoyed listening to it thoroughly, and learned a great deal of history. I highly recommend these lectures to everyone.

Excellent

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Another brilliant book by Goldsworthy. Absoloutley worth your time. The narrator is so and so, though he is certainly not my favorite, he is tollerable. I would highly recomend it

Another brilliant book by Adrian Goldsworthy

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Well read. Once into the meat of the ongoing insanity between these two powers, you grasp the utter chaos this conflict in both empires. A truly titanic and utterly pointless ongoing struggle to achieves nothing of lasting value for either. This history is fascinating in it's constant gyrations between the two.

Detiled history of the relations, motivations and byzantine conflict between 2 superpowers

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