Book
How Rome fell : death of a superpower
Record details
- ISBN: 9780300137194 (hardcover : alk. paper) :
- ISBN: 0300137192 (hardcover : alk. paper)
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Physical Description:
x, 531 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 25 cm.
print - Publisher: New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, 2009.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Also published: London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009, with title: The fall of the west : the slow death of the Roman superpower. |
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (p. 449-509) and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | 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. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Rome History, Military 30 B.C.-476 A.D Rome History Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D Rome History Germanic Invasions, 3rd-6th centuries Rome History Empire, 284-476 |
Available copies
- 1 of 2 copies available at Kenton County.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlanger Branch | 937.09 G624h 2009 (Text) | 33126015355351 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 04/30/2024 |
| Independence Branch | 937.09 G624h 2009 (Text) | 33126015355344 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
- Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2009 May #1
These two fine books about late Roman history bring to mind the current discussion of the worldwide economic debacle's impact on empire. Goldsworthy's popular history traces the three centuries leading up to the final collapse of the Western Empire in 476 C.E. In the shorter, more academic 428 AD, Traina follows a single year across the late empire from Egypt to Britannia. While Goldsworthy pursues large-scale trends over centuries, Traina describes life on the ground (as far as the historical record allows) through the leading figures of the day, including generals, emperors, and clerics. Goldsworthy convincingly argues that the Roman state collapsed from within, showing that internal disorder and the ballooning bureaucracy (rather than barbarian invasion or Christianity) created the conditions leading to fall. Traina's focus on a single year, a half-century before the end of the Western Empire, reveals a world already more like the medieval period than ancient times, with Christian bishops arguing over heresy, ascetic monks perched atop columns, and Germanic tribes occupying much of Gaul and Spain (and preparing to invade Africa). The authors' complementary perspectives lead to similar conclusions: the empire's ever-so-slow collapse was almost unnoticeable to the Romans, for whom the concept of mighty Imperial Rome endured despite the reality simply because there was nothing to take its place. Unusual for a popular historian, Goldsworthy always takes the time to share with readers his interpretive process with source materials, and he is more explicit than Traina about present-day parallels. Goldsworthy's book would satisfy any reader, while Traina's scholarly work makes a good follow-up for serious students.-Stewart Desmond, New York Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.