Reviewed by Norrie Sanders
Domination is a story of how a tiny cult within the Roman empire came to be a powerful force in the space of a few centuries. Professor Alice Roberts is not the first and is unlikely to be the last to ponder this question: how did Christianity come to dominate the western world? Her take is less about theology, and more about power and wealth. The focus is on the early centuries after Christ: the formative events and people that witnessed the slow decline of an empire and the establishment of a new religion.
As an archaeologist, author and presenter, Alice Roberts is very much at home with evidence – some of it contemporary and some recent – to inform her views on a venerated topic. For her, the focal point is the Council of Nicea in 327, at which the first Christian emperor Constantine, hosted bishops from across the empire to settle some apparently esoteric, theological arguments. But the symbolism of the Council and the power plays it represented were of much more interest.
Her central thesis is that the path from Rome to Christendom was an evolution in which some Romans (mostly elites and middle classes) brought Roman traditions into the emerging religion: “We’ve seen, in the west, how the Roman Empire fragmented but its structures, its wealthier citizens and its elite families, its way of doing things, all stayed in place – under the aegis of Christianity” [p369].
Her evidence for this evolution includes contemporary accounts by individuals as well as archaeological finds about the repurposing of Roman buildings – such as basilica and even bathhouses – for church purposes. Greco-Roman words were also reworked to provide Christianised descriptions – generic terms for civil administration morphed to bishops, vicars and dioceses of the church. Finally, the Church inherited and expanded its sources of wealth – particularly land and agriculture.
“These connections between the Roman Empire and Christianity have been hiding in plain sight. They are well known to scholars …..but somewhat obscure outside those circles” [p157]. Yet, as early as the fourth century, “Christianity and the Roman state had become increasingly enmeshed, to the extent that they ended up becoming one and the same” [p233].
It is a small step from here to argue that the church rapidly became a mega-business. The Christian (and Roman) ethic of the rich supporting the poor was used to good effect, with the church siphoning off most of the funds along the way: “The business of the poor – so long as they stayed poor – would make the church very, very rich indeed” [p267].
And this business model, more so than its theology, according to Alice Roberts, guaranteed that as Christianity expanded through Europe and beyond, it created an adaptable and sustainable legacy into modern times: “The business of the empire was comprehensively taken over…. until the Church was more powerful than the Empire – as an economic system that could survive the carving up of territory into smaller polities” [p371].
As a scientist, Alice Roberts is meticulous with her sources and, though not all will agree with her synthesis, provides a credible basis for her conclusions. As a communicator, her style is approachable – she understands where the reader might need some authorial intervention to explain nuanced concepts. She acknowledges the limits of much of the evidence and any controversies about it. Her personal journey of discovery (historical rather than spiritual) complements the fascinating personal histories of those who lived in those tumultuous times.
Professor Alice Roberts is an academic, author and broadcaster, specialising in human anatomy, physiology, evolution, archaeology and history. In 2001, Alice made her television debut on Channel 4’s Time Team, and went on to write and present The Incredible Human Journey, Origins of Us and Ice Age Giants on BBC2. She is also the presenter of the popular TV series Digging for Britain. Alice has been a Professor of Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham since 2012.
by Alice Roberts
(August 2025)
Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978 1 39851 009 8
$36.99 (Paperback); 432pp