| Description |
x, 531 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm |
| Note |
Also published: London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009, with title: The fall of the west : the slow death of the Roman superpower. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 449-509) and index. |
| Contents |
The big question -- Crisis? : the Third century. The Kingdom of Gold ; The secret of empire ; Imperial women ; King of kings ; Barbarians ; The Queen and the "necessary" emperor ; Crisis -- Recovery? : the Fourth century. The Four : Diocletian and the Tetrarchy ; The Christian ; Rivals ; Enemies ; The Pagan ; Goths ; East and West -- Fall? : the fifth and Sixth centuries. Barbarians and Romans : generals and rebels ; The Sister and the Eternal City ; The Hun ; Sunset on an outpost of empire ; Emperors, kings, and warlords ; West and East ; Rise and fall -- A simple answer -- An even simpler moral. |
| Summary |
After a superb survey of Roman politics and civilization, Goldsworthy begins with the death in A.D. 180 of emperor Marcus Aurelius, whose reign is traditionally viewed as the apex of Roman power. During the disastrous century that followed, emperors rarely ruled more than a few years; most were murdered, and civil wars raged, though there was some stability during the reigns of Diocletian and Constantine. Invasions slowly chipped away at the empire until it vanished in A.D. 476 with the abdication of the last Western emperor. Goldsworthy makes sense of 300 years of poorly documented wars, murders and political scheming. |
| Subject |
Rome -- History -- Empire, 284-476.
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Rome -- History -- Germanic Invasions, 3rd-6th centuries.
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Rome -- History -- Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D.
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Rome -- History, Military -- 30 B.C.-476 A.D.
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| ISBN |
9780300137194 hardcover alkaline paper $32.50 |
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0300137192 hardcover alkaline paper |
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