Contents List of Illustrationsxi List of Mapsxiii List of Diagramsxiv List of Abbreviationsxv Preface to the First Editionxviii Preface to the Second Editionxx Preface to the Third Editionxxii 1 An Introduction to Late Roman History 1 The Later Roman Empire, Late Antiquity, and the Contemporary World 4 The Third Century 11 Change and Development 13 2 The Nature of the Evidence 18 The Problem of Christian Sources 19 Hagiography 20 Chronicles 21 Eastern Sources 22 Panegyrics 23 The Secular Historians 26 The Church Historians 37 The Legal and Administrative Sources 39 Letter Collections 43 Inscriptions and Papyri 43 The Material World 45 3 The Roman Empire from Diocletian to Alaric 57 Prelude 57 A Military Monarchy 284–395: Overview 61 The Age of Diocletian and Constantine 64 The Emergence of Constantine 70 The Successors of Constantine 78 Julian 81 Valentinian and Valens 86 A Changing World 88 Theodosius I 91 Stilicho and Alaric 95 The Goths in Constantinople 100 4 The Roman Empire of the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 108 Preface 109 The Reign of Theodosius II 111 The Western Empire and the Barbarians, 411–55 116 Marcian and Leo 120 The Fall of the Western Empire 122 Zeno and Odoacar 124 Anastasius 126 The War with Persia 129 Justin 130 Justinian: The Years of Ambition 131 War on the Eastern Front 137 The Nika Riot 139 The Reconquest of the West: Africa 145 The Invasion of Italy 147 5 The Roman State 160 The Anatomy of the Empire 160 Propaganda and Ideology 161 Military Security 170 Taxes and the Army 174 Ruling the Empire 178 Social and Cultural Transformations 185 6 The Barbarian Kingdoms 198 The Origins of the Germanic Kingdoms of the West 198 The Huns 204 The Germanic Kingdoms of Western Europe in the Fifth Century 209 The Visigoths 210 The Burgundians 214 The Franks 216 Ostrogothic Italy 220 7 From Pagan to Christian 232 Approaching Religious Transformations in Late Antiquity 232 Religious Pluralism in Late Antiquity 236 Christian Diversity 240 Christianity and the State: Outlawry and Tolerance 245 8 Conversion to Christianity and the Politics of Religious Identity 265 Three Conversions and Their Consequences 265 Constantine 266 Julian 273 Augustine 277 Politics and Christianity 280 Monks and Holy Men 285 Religious Identities 287 The “Arian” Dispute 292 The Council of Chalcedon and the Emergence of Miaphysitism 299 9 The Political Economy of the Later Roman Empire 313 The Economic Structure of the Later Empire 313 The Monetary System and Taxation 317 Rome 319 Constantinople 324 Alexandria 330 Carthage 333 Antioch 334 10 Society and Economy in the Mediterranean and the Near East 343 The Eastern Empire 344 The Near East 344 Asia Minor 350 The Eastern Frontier Zones 356 Egypt 360 The Western Empire 365 Africa 365 Gaul 369 Italy 376 The Danube Region and the Balkans 378 Conclusions 382 11 The Challenges of the Later Sixth Century 392 The Bubonic Plague and Other Natural Catastrophes 393 Setbacks and Recovery in the Mid-Sixth Century 399 The Challenge of the Sasanians 408 The Renewal of Hostilities Between Rome and Persia 411 12 The Last Great War of Antiquity 426 The Northern Barbarians in the Sixth Century: Avars, Slavs, and Lombards 427 The Fall of Maurice 431 The Final Showdown with Persia 433 Religious Transformations 439 13 Arabia, Islam, and the Eclipse of the Old Order 446 The Arabian Peninsula in Late Antiquity 447 Apocalyptic Expectations 452 The Coming of Islam 454 Muhammad’s Teaching and Followers 456 The First Arab Conquests 458 The Fall of an Empire 461 Why Did the Arabs Prevail? 462 14 The Survival of the Eastern Empire 470 The Roman Reaction 471 The Year of Four Emperors 471 Politics and Theology 473 The Reign of Constans II: Stabilizing the Empire (641–55) 474 Changes in the Roman Army 477 The New Masters and the Conquered Lands 478 The Roman Empire on the Defensive 482 Withdrawal to the West 482 The Stabilization of the Eastern Frontier 484 Conclusion: The Dawn of a New Age? 489 The Evolution of the Roman State 491 15 The Fall of the Roman Empire 499 One or Two Empires? 500 Taxation and Diminishing State Revenue 503 The Loss of Military Capacity 507 Environmental Change in Late Antiquity 511 Demographic Regression and Plague in Late Antiquity 513 The Afterlife of Ancient Rome 525 Bibliography 532 Chronological List of Emperors and Other Rulers 557 Index 559  

BLACKWELL HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD A History of the Later Roman Empire AD 284-700 Third Edition A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-700 covers the history of the Roman Empire up to the Islamic conquests and the early Byzantine period, and is an essential textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The book provides a sweeping and detailed survey of Rome’s struggles, triumphs, and disasters from the accession of the emperor Diocletian in AD 284 to the consolidation of the Empire around 700 in the face of the early Islamic conquests. Stephen Mitchell and Geoffrey Greatrex provide detailed narrative and analysis of the massive political and military transformations in the rule of Rome which resulted in the emergence of medieval and modern Europe, and of Byzantium and the Islamic world in the Near East. The narrative and thematic chapters cover major episodes in later Roman history, including the conversion of Constantine, the establishment of a new empire in Constantinople, and Justinian’s attempt in the sixth century to forge unified rule across the entire Mediterranean region. Individual chapters analyse the nature of the Roman state, the emergence and character of the western barbarian kingdoms, and the epochal religious changes of late antiquity, and provide a systematic account of the settlements and economy of the empire’s diverse regions. There is full discussion of factors that contributed to Rome’s decline, including the world-wide outbreaks of bubonic plague from 542, the failure of the state to maintain its tax revenues, and the immense military challenges of the sixth and seventh centuries that were posed by the organised imperial power of Sasanian Persia. Two new chapters written for the third edition cover the rise of the Arabs in the Near East, the origins of Islam as a major political force, and the early Islamic conquests, and trace Rome’s resilient response, which was defined by the creation of a more religious state and a new empire within reduced frontiers. The third edition incorporates updated tables of information and chronological overviews, additional illustrations and maps, and extensive new bibliography relating to topics, including climate and environmental change, which have been prominent in recent scholarship on the period. This new edition confirms its reputation as the best single-volume overview of the politics, institutions, religious transformations and military affairs of Europe, the Mediterranean world and the Near East in the mid first millennium.