The Fall of the Western Roman Empire Archaeology, History and the Decline of Rome

by Christie, Neil

• ISBN13: 9780340759660
• ISBN10: 0340759666
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-15
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

The Decline of the Roman Empire has been a subject of fascination and debate for centuries. In this original new work, Nell Christie draws on numerous sources, interweaving the latest archaeological evidence, to reconstruct the period's landscape and events. In the process, he rethinks some of historians' most widely held and long-established views: Was the Empire's disintegration caused primarily by external or Internal factors? Why did the Eternal City of Old Rome collapse In the West, while the 'New Rome' of Constantinople endured in the East? What was destroyed and what remained of Roman culture after successive Invasions by Vandals, Goths, Huns and other 'barbarians', and what was the impact of the new Christian religion? As Christie expertly demonstrates, the archaeology of the late Roman period reveals Intriguing answers to these and other questions. Taking an innovative. Interdisciplinary approach that combines traditional historical methods and a unique familiarity with the Empire's physical remnants, he uncovers new aspects of Rome's military struggles, Its shifting geography, and the everyday lives of its subjects.

Author Biography

Neil Christie is Reader in Archaeology at the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, UK.

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroduction1. Romans and Barbarians from the Early to Mid Empire2. Romans, Barbarians, and Christians in the Last Centuries of Roman Rule3. Defending the Late Roman West: I. Armies, Commanders and Enemies4. Defending the Late Roman West: II. Frontiers, Forts and Towns5. Towns and Urban Society in the Late Empire6. Three Capitals of the West: Rome, Milan, Ravenna7. Pagan and Christian in the Late Roman West8. Late Roman Economics and Landscapes9. 'After' Rome -- The West in Decay?NotesAppendix: The Decline in Historical Fiction and FilmBibliography