The Roman Empire in Crisis, 248–260

When the Gods Abandoned Rome

Paul N Pearson

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English

Pen and Sword
01 December 2025

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE

This book is a narrative history of a dozen years of turmoil that begins with Rome's millennium celebrations of 248 CE and ends with the capture of the emperor Valerian by the Persians in 260. It was a period of almost unremitting disaster for Rome, involving a series of civil wars, several major invasions by Goths and Persians, economic crisis, and an empire-wide pandemic, the 'plague of Cyprian'. There was sustained persecution of the Christians. A central theme of the book is that this was a period of moral and spiritual crisis in which the traditional state religion suffered greatly in prestige, paving the way for the eventual triumph of Christianity. The sensational recent discovery of extensive fragments of the lost Scythica of Dexippus sheds much new light on the Gothic Wars of the period. The author has used this new evidence in combination with in-depth investigations in the field to develop a revised account of events surrounding the great Battle of Abritus where the army of the emperor Decius was annihilated by Cniva's Goths. The reigns of the emperors Gallus, Aemilian and Valerian are treated in detail, and new ideas are presented regarding mysterious characters of the age such as Silbannacus and Sponsian.

This period is pivotal for understanding the transition between Classical civilisation and the period known as Late Antiquity.

AUTHOR: Paul Pearson is a Professor of Earth Sciences at Cardiff University but has deep and long-held fascination for Roman history. This book is the product of years of research, including personal study of the battlefields and other key sites in Germany and Italy. He is the author of The Roman Empire in Crisis 248-260 (Pen & Sword Books, 2022).

16 colour illustrations

By: Paul N Pearson
Imprint: Pen and Sword
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781399091015
ISBN 10: 1399091018
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Paul Pearson is a Professor of Earth Sciences at Cardiff University but has deep and long-held fascination for Roman history. This book is the product of years of research, including personal study of the battlefields and other key sites in Germany and Italy. He is the author of The Roman Empire in Crisis 248-260 (Pen & Sword Books, 2022).

Reviews for The Roman Empire in Crisis, 248–260: When the Gods Abandoned Rome

""A clear, brisk writer, Pearson is also quite thorough, taking a holistic attitude to the many facets of a confused, turbulent period.""-- ""NYMAS Review"" ""Simply stated, no personal, community, or academic library Roman History collection can be considered up to date without the inclusion of Paul N. Pearson's The Roman Empire in Crisis, 248-260.""-- ""Midwest Book Review""