Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire (Routledge Key Guides) - Hardcover

Grant, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 041517323X ISBN 13: 9780415173230

Publisher: Routledge, 1999

Synopsis

Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire presents a study of third century Rome, which is lavishly illustrated and a lucid read, typical of Michael Grant's inimitable style.
In Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire, Michael Grant asserts that the fact that the Roman empire of the third century AD did not collapse is one of the miracles of history. He argues that at that time the empire seemed ripe for disintegration and expresses amazement that it continued, in the west, for another two hundred years, and in the east, for far longer.

Michael Grant examines the reasons for collapse, including analyses of the succession of emperors, the Germans and the Persians and also, the reasons for its remarkable recovery, including discussions of strong emperors, a reconstituted army, finance and coinage and state religion.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Grant is author of numerous books, including most recently, From Rome to Byzantium (1998) and The Severans (1996), both published by Routledge.

From Booklist:

Grant's great gift has been to make the basic trends of classical civilization accessible to general readers while maintaining first-rate standards of scholarship. In this compact volume, Grant examines the causes for the near disintegration of the empire in the mid-third century A.D., including the problems of imperial succession, Germanic encroachments on the frontiers, and chronic conflicts with the Persians in the East. He then convincingly asserts that the empire possessed hidden strengths that allowed for a vigorous recovery from these dangers and survival for another two centuries in the West (and another millennium in the East). Despite the relative brevity of his survey, Grant probes with great insight various critical aspects of third-century Roman civilization, including religious life, the reconstitution of the army, and economic stability. This work is a worthy and necessary addition to both academic and public library collections on classical history. Jay Freeman

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 041517323X
• ISBN 13: 9780415173230
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 140