I've blogged about this book twice before, so I'm not going to ramble on about the importance or impact of this voluminous volume from Edward Gibbon. I started it almost 4 1/2 years ago, one month prior to our first trip to Italy. I remember reading Volume I while sipping espressos on the streets of Rome.
After 3,300 some odd pages, it's daunting to sum up. The subject is overwhelming enough, but Gibbon broadens the scope far beyond the Roman Empire. Multiple chapters on subjects as disparate as the Arab conquest, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane don't even mention or involve the Romans. This book could easily be considered a history of the entire Mediterranean, plus much of Europe, north Africa and Asia from the first century to the fifteenth.
It's hard to pinpoint the reason for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, especially when the experts can't on when the Empire fell - not even within 1,000 years. Did it fall when Constantine moved the seat of the empire to Byzantium? Was it after the barbarian invasions of the first millennium? When Charlemagne anointed the Holy Roman Empire and moved it to France and Germany? When the Turks finally overran Constantinople in 1453? Some even say it lived on until the final dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire - what tiny vestige of it remained - in 1806.
Gibbon's narrative seems to indicate that the Empire breathed its last in 1453 when the Turks took over Constantinople. The "Romans" at that time no longer resided in Rome, didn't even come close to controlling Rome, didn't speak the Roman language (they spoke Greek), and were in fact arch-enemies of the Roman Church. But they definitely considered themselves Roman... anything to hold on to that glorious heritage.
My personal summation is that Rome fell - whenever you actually date its demise - because it was a government of men, not laws. Sure, the Romans had laws. But the Emperors wrote, rewrote and ignored them at their will. The desire to rule was so strong that the strongmen of the time would do anything, kill anyone and everyone in their path, to become emperor. Once crowned, however, the next strongman was already plotting his own path. This went on for centuries, over and over and over, much to the demise of the empire.
For an ancient history nut like myself, Gibbons book is a must read. It consumed a lot of time, and greatly challenged me at times. But given the vastness of the subject and the complexity of the times, the book is awesome. I'm better for having read it.
As an aside, I should document that this is the first book which I've read (partially at least) on an eReader. My wife gave me a Kindle for Christmas, and I was able to download the entire book for less than one dollar. I will always love the printed book, but I also love my Kindle!
After 3,300 some odd pages, it's daunting to sum up. The subject is overwhelming enough, but Gibbon broadens the scope far beyond the Roman Empire. Multiple chapters on subjects as disparate as the Arab conquest, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane don't even mention or involve the Romans. This book could easily be considered a history of the entire Mediterranean, plus much of Europe, north Africa and Asia from the first century to the fifteenth.
It's hard to pinpoint the reason for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, especially when the experts can't on when the Empire fell - not even within 1,000 years. Did it fall when Constantine moved the seat of the empire to Byzantium? Was it after the barbarian invasions of the first millennium? When Charlemagne anointed the Holy Roman Empire and moved it to France and Germany? When the Turks finally overran Constantinople in 1453? Some even say it lived on until the final dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire - what tiny vestige of it remained - in 1806.
Gibbon's narrative seems to indicate that the Empire breathed its last in 1453 when the Turks took over Constantinople. The "Romans" at that time no longer resided in Rome, didn't even come close to controlling Rome, didn't speak the Roman language (they spoke Greek), and were in fact arch-enemies of the Roman Church. But they definitely considered themselves Roman... anything to hold on to that glorious heritage.
My personal summation is that Rome fell - whenever you actually date its demise - because it was a government of men, not laws. Sure, the Romans had laws. But the Emperors wrote, rewrote and ignored them at their will. The desire to rule was so strong that the strongmen of the time would do anything, kill anyone and everyone in their path, to become emperor. Once crowned, however, the next strongman was already plotting his own path. This went on for centuries, over and over and over, much to the demise of the empire.
For an ancient history nut like myself, Gibbons book is a must read. It consumed a lot of time, and greatly challenged me at times. But given the vastness of the subject and the complexity of the times, the book is awesome. I'm better for having read it.
As an aside, I should document that this is the first book which I've read (partially at least) on an eReader. My wife gave me a Kindle for Christmas, and I was able to download the entire book for less than one dollar. I will always love the printed book, but I also love my Kindle!
No comments:
Post a Comment