The Fall of Rome

And the End of Civilization

By: Bryan Ward-Perkins

Narrated by: Roger Clark

Was the fall of Rome a great catastrophe that cast the West into darkness for centuries to come? Or, as scholars argue today, was there no crisis at all, but simply a peaceful blending of barbarians into Roman culture, an essentially positive transformation?

In The Fall of Rome, eminent historian Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the "peaceful" theory of Rome's "transformation" is badly in error. Indeed, he sees the fall of Rome as a time of horror and dislocation that destroyed a great civilization, throwing the inhabitants of the West back to a standard of living typical of prehistoric times. Attacking contemporary theories with relish and making use of modern 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. The book recaptures the drama and violence of the last days of the Roman world and reminds us of the very real terrors of barbarian occupation.

Equally important, Ward-Perkins contends that a key problem with the new way of looking at the end of the ancient world is that all difficulty and awkwardness is smoothed out into a steady and positive transformation of society. Nothing ever goes badly wrong in this vision of the past. The evidence shows otherwise.

©2005 Bryan Ward-Perkins (P)2019 Tantor

Great listen

This book provides a wonderful overview of the Fall of Rome. The author takes the position that some scholars believe Rome didn't collapsed but rather propose it was gradually assimilated by the Germanic tribes. (Frankly, I've not heard that perspective). The author provides interesting and substantial evidence that there was a significant reduction in the amenities of a cultured society from the mid 5th century on: quality of pottery, mass produced bricks, the size of buildings, the size of farm animals, coins and reading/writing.
I love when authors present easy to comprehend facts in an enjoyable and clear manner.

Great analysis of the economic and social consequences of the collapse of the Roman Empire

I enjoyed the no-nonsense report and historical analysis of the archeological research of everyday life artifacts that showed the impact on the collapse of the Roman Empire and barbarian invasions.

Brilliantly written. Incredibly substantive yet concise.

Ward – Perkins did a masterful job in providing so much Scholarly research in an easily digestible and concise way. A great read to capture the fall of Rome.

best book ever on Fall of Rome

This is by far the most balanced and superb book I have ever read on the fall of Rome.
Perkins explains why and how all of those drawers and drawers of pottery shards, human and animal bones (the length of cow bones at various times for instance)in museums are important and what they tell us about the empire and how a far-reaching complex society, and culture was destroyed. I thought the narration was great and will listen to again.

Witty,slightly sarcastic history fun.

Well written prose delivered with the diction to match the author's intended meaning. Excellent listen.

Great scholarship

Perkins gives a concise, nuanced, and compelling discussion on how to approach late antiquity. Definitely worth a read if you are interested in how Rome deviled and how the medieval period began.

insightful

It's really great to hear a perspective of the collapse of weather Rome from an archaeological perspective. Trade and the difficulties that come with it are something I hadn't thought of previously when talking about West Rome's collapse.