The Fate of Rome

Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire

Kyle Harper

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English

Princeton University Pres
18 June 2019

History; Classical history & classical civilisation; Global warming

Series: The Princeton History of the Ancient World

How climate change and disease helped to bring down the Roman Empire Here is the monumental retelling of one of the most consequential chapters of human history: the fall of the Roman Empire. The Fate of Rome is the first book to examine the catastrophic role that climate change and infectious diseases played in the collapse of Rome's power - a story of nature's triumph over human ambition. Interweaving a grand historical narrative with cutting-edge climate science and genetic discoveries, Kyle Harper traces how the fate of Rome was decided not just by emperors, soldiers, and barbarians but also by volcanic eruptions, solar cycles, climate instability, and devastating viruses and bacteria. The Fate of Rome is a sweeping account of how one of history's greatest civilizations encountered and endured, yet ultimately succumbed to, the cumulative burden of nature's violence.

By: Kyle Harper
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 133mm,
ISBN: 9780691192062
ISBN 10: 0691192065
Series: The Princeton History of the Ancient World
Pages: 440
Publication Date: 18 June 2019
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kyle Harper is professor of classics and letters and senior vice president and provost at the University of Oklahoma. His books include Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275-425.

Reviews for The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire

oeRome, argues Kyle Harper in his sweeping retelling of the rise and fall of an empire, was brought down as much by ~germs as by Germans. (TM) Keith Johnson, Foreign Policy oeThe Fate of Rome should probably sit on shelves next to Gibbon (TM)s masterwork. In time, one feels, it will be seen every bit as much an essential text. Andrew Masterson, Cosmos oeHarper offers a striking reinterpretation with worrisome implications for the present day. Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs oeOriginal and ambitious. . . . A panoramic sweep of the late Roman Empire as interpreted by one historian (TM)s incisive, intriguing, inquiring mind. James Romm, Wall Street Journal oeBeautifully and often wittily written, this is history that has some of the impact of a great work of dystopian science fiction. Tom Holland, BBC History Magazine One of The Federalist (TM)s Notable Books for 2017 One of the Forbes.com oeGreat Anthropology and History Books of 2017 (chosen by Kristina Killgrove) One of The Times Literary Supplement (TM)s Books of the Year 2017 One of Medium.com (TM)s Books of the Year 2017 One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018 One of Strategy + Business's Best Business Books in Economics for 2018 Honorable Mention for the 2018 PROSE Award in Classics, Association of American Publishers