A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641: The Transformation of the Ancient World
September 2006, Wiley-Blackwell
- The only modern study to cover the western and eastern empire and the entire period from 284 to 641 in a single volume
- A bibliographical survey supports further study and research
- Includes chronological tables, maps, and charts of important information help to orient the reader
- Discusses the upheaval and change caused by the spread of Christianity and the barbarian invasions of the Huns, Goths and Franks
- Contains thematic coverage of the politics, religion, economy and society of the late Roman state
- Gives a full narrative of political and military events
- Discusses the sources for the period
List of Maps.
List of Diagrams.
List of Abbreviations.
1 An Introduction to Late Roman History.
2 The Nature of the Evidence.
3 The Roman Empire from Diocletian to Alaric.
4 The Roman Empire of the Fifth and Sixth Centuries.
5 The Roman State.
6 The Barbarian Kingdoms.
7 From Pagan to Christian.
8 Conversion to Christianity and the Politics of Religious Identity.
9 The Political Economy of the Later Roman Empire.
10 Society and Economy in the Mediterranean and the Near East.
11 The Challenges of the Later Sixth Century.
12 The Final Reckoning of the Eastern Empire.
Chronological List of Emperors and Other Rulers.
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).
- A historical survey of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity
- Examines the period from AD 284 to 641, beginning with the
accession of the emperor Diocletian
- A bibliographical survey supports further study and
- Includes chronological tables, maps, and charts of important
information help to orient the reader
- Discusses the upheaval and change caused by the spread of
Christianity and the barbarian invasions of the Huns, Goths, and
- Contains thematic coverage of the politics, religion, economy
and society of the late Roman state
- Gives succinct narrative of political and military events
- Discusses the sources for the period.
"Mitchell has produced an extremely useful book.... [He] strikes the right balance between narrative and analysis, generality and detail.... The book is a page-turner, as well as a resource for students of all ages." (Greece & Rome, 2008)
"Mitchell offers students the opportunity to gain a broader vision of the late antique world, where the hard-headed activities of emperors, bureaucrats and generals count for as much as the colourful transformations of religion and culture." (The Classical Review, 2008)
"Mitchell's strong parts are the thought that he has given to the needs of the beginner, and his provision of the widest chronological overview in a single volume … .He has an easy style, refers frequently and appositely to modern parallels, and picks up modern interests and concerns such as the power of 'spin' and 'image' and the importance of environmental factors." (Latomus Revue, September 2008)
“The book is certainly worth including in any university or high school library and any student of late antiquity would benefit from reading it.” (Classical Review, 2007)
“Seldom can one give unreserved praise of a textbook, but Mitchell’s book on the later Roman Empire deserves it … Highly recommended.” (Choice)
"The volume of the on-going Blackwell History of the Ancient World is a very welcome addition to the growing collection of modern overviews of the Later Roman Empire … It is consciously modernising in the best possible sense, drawing lessons for the interpretation of the Later Roman Empire from the rapid collapse of political structures that had seemed destined for eternity until they were suddenly gone, which we have experienced in the modern world over the last twenty years. The book can for this reason alone be thoroughly recommended." (Scholia Reviews)"This is a truly major work, with a remarkably coherent structure, and written with great clarity. It will become a much-used standard work. I know of no other single-volume account of the period which covers so clearly and so economically so many different aspects."
–Fergus Millar, Camden Professor of Ancient History (Emeritus), University of Oxford
"Stephen Mitchell enlarges a sound narrative account with some
sparkling thematic chapters, uniting the latest archaeology with a
good range of epigraphic, legal and literary evidence. Blackwell
published A.H.M. Jones' Later Roman Empire forty years ago,
and I shall put Mitchell's History beside it."
–Roger Tomlin, University of Oxford