The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Part I

Summary

Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is one of the greatest texts in the English language. In magisterial prose, Gibbon charts the gradual collapse of the Roman rule from Augustus (23 BC–AD 14) to the first of the Barbarian kings, Odoacer (AD 476–AD 490). It is a remarkable account, with the extravagant corruption and depravity of emperors such as Commodus, Caracalla, and Elagabalus contrasted by the towering work of Constantine, Julian, and other remarkable men. It remains the standard work of scholarship on the subject two hundred years after it was written. Equally important in its sheer accessibility, it is an unforgettable story.