65 pages • 2 hours read
E.H. GombrichA Little History of the World
Nonfiction | Book | YA | Published in 1936A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 16-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary: “The Good News”
Gombrich uses the reign of Augustus to introduce the life of Jesus Christ, as Augustus was emperor when Christ was born in the Roman province of Palestine. He addresses the well-known teachings of Jesus, a Jewish man who proclaimed himself the Son of God: “That all men are God’s children. And that the love of this father is infinite. That before him no man is without sin, but that God has pity on sinners. That what matters is not judgment but mercy” (93). A Roman official named Pontius Pilate had Jesus put to death by crucifixion, transforming him into a martyr and a symbol of his teachings.
Through Christ’s disciples and followers, his teachings of his merciful God spread through the Roman Empire. Though the Romans had previously not concerned themselves with matters of religion, they were threatened by the Christians. They refused to worship the emperor as a god. In the year 60 A.D., 30 years after the death of Jesus Christ, Rome was ruled by a notoriously cruel emperor named Nero. He was decadent, lazy, cowardly, and violent. Disliked by his subjects, Nero used the Christians as a scapegoat, warping their message of eternal life in heaven into one of hatred for mankind. He had Christians captured and killed, many in brutally violent ways. These Christians became the first saints. Though Christians were withstanding great persecution, things were no better for the Jewish subjects of Rome. They revolted in Jerusalem, demanding freedom. After years of siege, Jerusalem was in a state of famine, and the Jews who tried to escape were caught and crucified. Eventually, Roman forces succeeded in taking Jerusalem, which they then destroyed. The Jews had now lost their homeland.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Life in the Empire and at Its Frontiers”
Gombrich now turns his attention to describing life as a civilian in the Roman Empire. Roman roads connected the vast provinces, and a postal service carried news from one end of the empire to the other. There were lively marketplaces, large bath houses, and massive amphitheaters. The Coliseum in Rome could hold 50,000 spectators. The emperor was tasked with protecting the empire from the constant threat of invasion. The German tribes were the most concerning; they were tall, powerful, and herdsmen, as the Romans had once been. Troops were stationed at outposts at all the Roman frontiers, and these troops came from all countries of the empire.
Life in the outposts was much like life in Rome. Soldiers would often settle near the camps, and as time went on, emperors spent more time in the frontier towns than in Rome itself. One such emperor was Marcus Aurelius, whose reign began in 161 A.D. The emperors who followed him were soldiers and often were not Roman. They were often assassinated by their own men and fought each other for power. After the year 200, the structures of power had descended into chaos. In these uncertain times, with no clear leader and constant revolt, many more peasants and slaves became Christians. In 284, a man named Diocletian became emperor. He set about restoring the empire. He created four imperial capitals and chose a leader for each one. He also attempted to restore potency to the role of emperor through the establishment of new rituals and ruthless persecution of Christians. The next emperor was Constantine, who ordered that Christians no longer be persecuted after dreaming of the cross in 313. Though he continued practicing paganism, he was baptized on his deathbed. Constantine ruled from the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. The Roman Empire was now divided into the Western and Eastern empires, and Christianity became the official religion of both states in 380.
Chapters 16-17 Analysis
The very nature of the prevailing Western calendar compels Gombrich to discuss the birth of Jesus Christ, as it separates the periods B.C. and A.D. However, there is little doubt that the Messiah of the Christian faith would have been allocated a chapter in any case. Not only does Gombrich discuss Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam in other chapters, but his focus on Western culture necessitates a background summary of Christianity. He assumes familiarity with the Bible throughout his history, using it as a point of reference for the reader when discussing ancient cultures. Thus, Christianity is a critical feature of his history. This necessary background is immediately utilized in the following chapter, which describes the immense changes that occurred within the Roman Empire after, and often as a result of, the advent of Christianity. First, Christians are a marginalized group in Roman society, but ultimately the empire takes on a Christian identity, and Christianity plays a key role in global history from this point onward.
While a great deal of Chapter 17 focuses on the political changes occurring during the third century, the title of the chapter, “Life in the Empire and at Its Frontiers,” alludes to its other focus: the experiences that a citizen of the Roman Empire may have had. Gombrich describes the infrastructure, economic landscape, and cultural pastimes of this period, referencing both incredible spectacles and unfathomable cruelty and noting in particular the many Christians who died at the Colosseum.
