LATE ANTIQUITY: CRISIS AND TRANSFORMATION Parts 1-3

Professor Noble defines late antiquity as the period roughly between 235 and 750 A.D., during which the Roman Empire underwent sweeping transformations. The city of Rome ceased to be the capital of the Roman world, which divided into Eastern and Western spheres of influence. Paganism was supplanted by Christianity. Islam arose in the Middle East. And eventually the Western Empire disappeared, and the Eastern Empire transformed into Byzantium. The size of the Roman world, length of the period, and complexity of the issues consume 36 half-hour lectures. These could have contained an endless and numbing recital of dates and unpronounceable names, but the professor succeeds in making events, personalities, and topics fascinating. Though his manner is somewhat supercilious, his clarity and enthusiasm more than compensate. Y.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]