Play Audiobook Sample
The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.21) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
What really marked the end of the Roman Empire? Was it a long, inevitable decay, or did real people make real choices with surprising and unintended effects? The Ruin of the Roman Empire takes us back to the sixth century, into the lives, cultures, and events that influenced ancient Rome. James O'Donnell restores the reputations of many "barbarians," while showing that Rome's last emperors doomed their realm with the hapless ways in which they tried to restore and preserve it. Sweeping and accessible, The Ruin of the Roman Empire captures the richness of late antique life and the colorful characters of the age while offering insight into today's debates about barbarism, religion, empires, and their threatened borders.
Download and start listening now!
“O’Donnell provides a sweeping panorama that includes diverse Christian sects, surprisingly civilized barbarians, and ordinary humans striving to survive in an unstable world.”
— Booklist
Quotes
-
“O’Donnell’s vivid prose…[makes] it easy for readers to imagine the world as it was at the empire’s close.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“O’Donnell’s richly layered book provides significant glimpses into the many factors that leveled a mighty empire.”
— Publishers Weekly -
O'Donnell's vivid prose…[makes] it easy for [listeners] to imagine the world as it was at the empire's close.
— Library Journal Starred Review
The Ruin of the Roman Empire Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About James J. O’Donnell
James J. O’Donnell is a classicist who served for ten years as Provost of Georgetown University and is now University Librarian at Arizona State University. He is the author of several books, including Augustine, The Ruin of the Roman Empire, and Avatars of the Word.