Review
“A provocative and highly readable synthesis of the most important period of transition and transformation in the history of the western world.” –Ralph W. Mathisen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“Stephen Mitchell provides an exceptionally clear and detailed account both of the march of events and of the structures of the Empire. His discussions of major problems are both balanced and forceful, not shrinking from indicating what his preferred solutions are. The book is a model exposition of a complex subject.” –Fergus Millar, Oxford
“Mitchell deploys his comprehensive knowledge of the sources to construct a veritable fortress of erudition. This updated second edition stands up to all contenders as the most solid introduction to the later Roman Empire.” –Noel Lenski, University of Colorado at Boulder
“S. Mitchell's second edition provides a lucid and informed reading of the period. The inclusion of recent advances in archaeology is most necessary for understanding the changes that took place over these centuries, and the new chapter 13 is a welcome overview of the perennial debate over the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. It serves as a wonderful introduction to the complexities of this period.” –Michele Renee Salzman, University of California, Riverside
From the Publisher
Stephen Mitchell is Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Exeter and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is also the author of Anatolia. Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor (1993), Cremna in Pisidia (1996), and Pisidian Antoch (1998).
From the Inside Flap
The second edition of A History of the Later Roman Empire features many revisions and updates to the highly-acclaimed, sweeping historical survey of the struggles, triumphs and disasters of the Roman Empire during the period from the accession of the emperor Diocletian in AD 284 to the death of Heraclius in 641. Author Stephen Mitchell reveals the massive political and military transformations in Rome’s western and eastern empires that led to its decline and gave way to the emergence of medieval and modern Europe and the Islamic world.
Major episodes in Rome’s social and political history are discussed in a series of narrative and thematic chapters, and include the Christian conversion of Constantine, the establishment of a Christian Empire in Constantinople and Justinian’s attempt in the 6th-century to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. Individual chapters address topics including the nature of the late Roman state, the emergence and character of the Western barbarian kingdoms, the epochal religious changes of late antiquity, and systematic discussions of Rome’s economy and society. The concluding sections of the book, including an entirely new chapter, provide a detailed analysis of the complex reasons for Rome’s decline and eventual fall,―including the catastrophic world-wide outbreak of bubonic plague in 542, the failure of the state to maintain its tax revenues, the 7th-century eclipse of Roman power after a final war with the rival Persian Empire of the Sassanians, and the emergent influence of Islam in the Arab world.
Grounded in the latest scholarship, the second edition of A History of the Later Roman Empire confirms its reputation as the best single-volume overview of the politics, institutions, and military affairs that shaped the decline of one of history’s greatest empires.
From the Back Cover
The second edition of A History of the Later Roman Empire features many revisions and updates to the highly-acclaimed, sweeping historical survey of the struggles, triumphs and disasters of the Roman Empire during the period from the accession of the emperor Diocletian in AD 284 to the death of Heraclius in 641. Author Stephen Mitchell reveals the massive political and military transformations in Rome’s western and eastern empires that led to its decline and gave way to the emergence of medieval and modern Europe and the Islamic world.
Major episodes in Rome’s social and political history are discussed in a series of narrative and thematic chapters, and include the Christian conversion of Constantine, the establishment of a Christian Empire in Constantinople and Justinian’s attempt in the 6th-century to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. Individual chapters address topics including the nature of the late Roman state, the emergence and character of the Western barbarian kingdoms, the epochal religious changes of late antiquity, and systematic discussions of Rome’s economy and society. The concluding sections of the book, including an entirely new chapter, provide a detailed analysis of the complex reasons for Rome’s decline and eventual fall,―including the catastrophic world-wide outbreak of bubonic plague in 542, the failure of the state to maintain its tax revenues, the 7th-century eclipse of Roman power after a final war with the rival Persian Empire of the Sassanians, and the emergent influence of Islam in the Arab world.
Grounded in the latest scholarship, the second edition of A History of the Later Roman Empire confirms its reputation as the best single-volume overview of the politics, institutions, and military affairs that shaped the decline of one of history’s greatest empires.
About the Author
Stephen Mitchell is Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Exeter and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is also the author of Anatolia. Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor (1993), Cremna in Pisidia (1996), and Pisidian Antoch (1998).
