A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284–641

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.

List of Illustrations viii List of Maps x List of Diagrams xi List of Abbreviations xii Preface to the First Edition xv Preface to the Second Edition xviii 1 An Introduction to Late Roman History 1 2 The Nature of the Evidence 15 3 The Roman Empire from Diocletian to Alaric 51 4 The Roman Empire of the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 108 5 The Roman State 165 6 The Barbarian Kingdoms 206 7 From Pagan to Christian 242 8 Conversion to Christianity and the Politics of Religious Identity 277 9 The Political Economy of the Later Roman Empire 325 10 Society and Economy in the Mediterranean and the Near East 355 11 The Challenges of the Later Sixth Century 408 12 The Final Reckoning of the Eastern Empire 441 13 The Fall of the Roman Empire 466 Bibliography 497 Chronological List of Emperors and Other Rulers 522 Index 524

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).