Corruption and the Decline of Rome
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€38.99
A radical rethinking of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, with resonance for today
“It is a seductive thesis, told with brio and all the guarantees of scholarship.”—The Economist
Prominent historian Ramsay MacMullen here offers a new perspective on the decline and fall of Rome. MacMullen argues that a key factor in Rome’s fall was the steady loss of focus and control over government as its aims were thwarted for private gain by high-ranking bureaucrats and military leaders. Written in an informal and lively style, his book—the culmination of years of research and thoughtful analysis—provides a fascinating, fresh line of investigation and shows convincingly that the decline of Rome was a gradual, insidious process rather than a climactic event.
“It is a seductive thesis, told with brio and all the guarantees of scholarship.”—The Economist
Prominent historian Ramsay MacMullen here offers a new perspective on the decline and fall of Rome. MacMullen argues that a key factor in Rome’s fall was the steady loss of focus and control over government as its aims were thwarted for private gain by high-ranking bureaucrats and military leaders. Written in an informal and lively style, his book—the culmination of years of research and thoughtful analysis—provides a fascinating, fresh line of investigation and shows convincingly that the decline of Rome was a gradual, insidious process rather than a climactic event.
Ramsay MacMullen (1928–2022), a widely regarded historian of Rome and early Christianity, was Dunham Professor Emeritus of History and Classics at Yale University. His many books include Roman Social Relations, 50 B.C. to A.D. 284; Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries; Christianizing the Roman Empire; Romanization in the Time of Augustus; and Voting About God in Early Church Councils.