Books That Matter: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

By: Leo Damrosch, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Leo Damrosch

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Published in six volumes between 1776 and 1781, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - for all its renown - can be intimidating. It contains one point five million words, an estimated 8,000 footnotes, a cast of 10,000 historical figures, and a timeline of more than 1,000 years. Yet even today, Gibbon's historical chronicle demands to be understood.

These 24 lectures invite you on a riveting examination of this great work as a vast historical chronicle, a compelling masterpiece of literature, a sharp commentary on cultural mores, and a cautionary tale to Enlightenment Europe. In this chapter-by-chapter guide to the Decline and Fall, Professor Damrosch helps you navigate the book's themes, structure, and lasting influence.

You'll approach the Decline and Fall as a written work whose footnotes, periodic style, and historical blind spots reflect the styles and ideologies of the Enlightenment age in which it was written. And for those intimidated by its thousands of pages or who feel they may lack the time to fully appreciate Gibbon's narrative of how Rome fell to "barbarism and religion", these lectures offer a richly detailed overview of what Gibbon called "many of the events most interesting in human annals", including: the reign of the Antonines, the rise of Christianity and Islam, the codification of Roman law, the Crusades, and the dawn of medieval Europe.

Whether you've read the Decline and Fall before or whether you've always wanted to read it but never knew where to start, Professor Damrosch's lectures are an authoritative guide to a once-mighty empire - and the great book that became its classic eulogy and epitaph.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2017 The Great Courses

Very good educational study.

Although it was not exactly what I was expecting which was a direct reading of Gibbons book this had a lot of additional valuable information that I would suggest you still listen to. The value comes in the translation and interpretation of the footnotes in the book which are not translated into English but consists of about 25% of the total pages in the book. Even lthough not every chapter was read completely or every footnote translated this interpretation I feel was excellent to anybody looking to study Gibbons book or knowledge and information on the topic.

Official religion?

I was under the impression that Theodosius, not Constantine, made Christianity the official religion of Rome.

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

I stayed up way too late listening to this as it is enthralling. I hope to get through the original lenghty series but this is a history of Western Civilization from the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Gibbon's take on the creation of the Islamic religion is most interesting as he admired Islamic leaders and he felt the religion was "rational." We need to get past TikTok history and read the classics.

outstanding

gives enough perspective to engage and awaken further research if one chooses. excellent book and commentary

Roman empire lectures

A thoughtful and balanced covering of a major historic work of Western history and thought.

The history of Gibbon

A very entertaining series of lectures. Gibbon is still relevant today. Volume 1 was published in 1776 and his work doubtless informed the authors of the US Constitution.

Manage expectations

I guess I was expecting a history of The History of the Decline and Fall and while there is some of that I feel that the course was mostly an expedited survey of the fall of Rome. What I wanted was more about the historical context in which it was written and more about Gibbon's research and writing methods. I was also hoping for a more in depth review of how the Decline and Fall is perceived in modern academics (as it is this only takes up a very small portion of the last chapter of the course).

I also got tired of the quality of the instructor's voice which had a nasal tone to it and sounded like he was suffering from a bad cold.

Overall though it is a great course and I heartily recommend it for anyone who has plans on reading the Decline and Fall in the future.

Excellent

Thoughtful, sympathetic, and clear lecture series on Gibbon’s masterpiece. I thought the professor’s teacing was incisive and just the right depth. Highly recommended.

Informative and brilliant

A remarkable course by a great professor. He uses Gibbons’ Decline & Fall as a vast template to tell the history of the Roman Empire, set in the context of Gibbons’ life and times, as well as the context of the magisterial work in light of 200+ years of additional historical and archeological findings and analysis. One could not ask for a better guide to all of this!

Very informative.

The presenter was excellent. The information was imparted in an interesting and compelling manner. Would definitely recommend.