Why did Rome fall? Vicious barbarian invasions during the fifth century resulted in the cataclysmic end of the world's most powerful civilization, and a 'dark age' for its conquered peoples.

Or did it? The dominant view of this period today is that the 'fall of Rome' was a largely peaceful transition to Germanic rule, and the start of a positive cultural transformation.

Bryan Ward-Perkins encourages every reader to think again by reclaiming the drama and violence of the last days of the Roman world, and reminding us of the very real horrors of barbarian occupation.

Attacking new sources with relish and making use of a range of contemporary archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans, in a world of economic collapse, marauding barbarians, and the rise of a new religious orthodoxy.

He also looks at how and why successive generations have understood this period differently, and why the story is still so significant today..

For more information about the title The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:

Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford Archaeological Guides) — The city of Rome is the largest archeological site in the world. If your idea of a good Roman holiday is uncovering the archeological mysteries of ...  > read more

The Collapse of Complex Societies (New Studies in Archaeology) — Political disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will ...  > read more

Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City — The rediscovery of Pompeii in 1748 represented a decisive moment for our understanding of the Roman world. To visit the site on these pagesis to ...  > read more

In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom — John Dominic Crossan, the eminent historical Jesus scholar, and Jonathan L. Reed, an expert in biblical archaeology, reveal through archaeology and ...  > read more

Author: Bryan Ward-Perkins

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Date: Jul. 17, 2006

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$16.95

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