Customer Reviews

From Rome to Byzantium: The Fifth Century AD

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I have long been a fan of Mr. Grant's books. He has been the most prolific Classicist author of the 20th century. This one is the first that I found lacking. Considering all the sources sighted in the large bibliography, this book should have been twice as long. There is little here that has not been said before. There is no discussion of Archaeology, and the original source materials. It provides little more than quotations, without in depth explanations. He did succeed in revealing how crucial the fifth century was in the transition to the Middle Ages. However, he did not actually answer the question he posed. That is, "why did the western Empire breakup, while the Eastern or Byzantine half survived?" I give it 3 stars for sentiments sake.

A friend bought this book for me from AMAZON. Michael Grant is an excellent historian but even excellent historians can produce nasty potboilers. This is one. FROM ROME TO BYZANTIUM basically consists of a series of quotes (many from other books by Michael Grant, a few from other standard histories of the period) with some linking passages to hold the thing together. I gave this two stars rather than one because for a reader new to the period the book at least encapsulates the basic facts and trends. But a far better short history of the 5th century AD - despite its unfortunate occasional descents into religiosity - is Perowne's END OF THE ROMAN WORLD.

Another lucid, elegant and accesible text for the lay reader, as well as the more specialized researcher. Grant takes a survery at the salient aspects of life in the Roman world, as dusk crept over the classical world and the roman mind grappled with a reordered world, not in their traditional image. Grant summarises the responses of state and individual well, giving due room to the responses of the religious and artisitic minds. A well produced volume, with thorough apparatus. One criticism - is there any point to reproductions of mosaic and architecture in black and white? Come on Routledge - if Taschen, Terrail et al can do it, so can you.