{"product_id":"the-fall-of-rome-and-the-end-of-civilization-9780192805645","title":"The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization","description":"\u003cp\u003eWas 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 Romes \"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  who were caught in a world of economic collapse  marauding barbarians  and the rise of a new religious orthodoxy. 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. Up to date and brilliantly written  combining a lively narrative with the latest research and thirty illustrations  this superb volume reclaims the drama  the violence  and the tragedy of the fall of Rome.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648049078325,"sku":"ByrdShop_0192805649","price":155.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780192805645.jpg?v=1781707828","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-fall-of-rome-and-the-end-of-civilization-9780192805645","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}