Grant provides a great overview of the period covered by this book – on the other hand he has a tendency to simply present a barrage of facts with almost computerlike efficiency. Though there’s also a lot of ground to cover in this eventful period from the accession of Marcus Aurelius in 161 to the death of Constantine in 337. - From the Foreword: "My aim has been to combine in a single volume a discussion of the most important political and economic events and the outstanding cultural and religious developments, with some attention to their backgrounds and aftermaths... Spanning the gulf between two worlds, it is a time of rapid transition comprising changes that could scarcely gave been more far-reaching and decisive. But the idea that it is therefore a mere no-man’s-land, a trough between the ages, would be quite mistaken. The attribution of that somewhat shadowy, interim character to the period was encouraged by Edward Gibbon, who believed that the happiest age of mankind ended at the death of Marcus Aurelius, and that afterwards came decline and fall." – Grant agrees that politically and economically "gloom was justified", though he also to a large degree proves his point that it was also a period of exceptional achievements.

He turns first to the military situation, the economy and Roman Law. This was a period of continual pressure on the frontiers, which necessitated a more efficient frontier defence and also lead to the gradual development of Roman military into more mobile and flexible units. There were frequent monetary reforms, and as well increasing exploitation of the middle class - to the degree that it was almost extinguished: "..the urban middle class everywhere was almost taxed out of existence, or forced into direct service of the emperor." (p. 60.) Grant describes the rise of the great-house economies into self-sufficient feudal units. "Emperors at first favoured legislation to protect the coloni [tenants], but before the third century was far advanced this considerate attitude had become subordinated to the need for funds." (p. 63.) The small chapter on Roman Law is interesting and well written; as the senate no longer had a role in legislation, the "jurists now ushered in the most creative and philosophical period in Roman Law." (p. 78.) Grant shows how the effect of the increased standardization nevertheless was to "equalize people not upwards but downwards" (p. 82) and as well how the law treated people of different social standing in different ways. Although Roman citizens, those of the lower class (humiliores) "were liable to flogging, torture and summary execution, which only non-citizens had suffered before. Indeed their punishments were practically those of slaves, and that is what many ‘free’ tenants came to be called." (p. 83.)

In the next section, he turns to artists, architects, novelists and philosophers. The chapters on sculpture and architecture suffers somewhat from a lack of illustrations - while the book contains as many as 100 illustrations, none of them are directly referenced in the the text. The two chapters titled "The Culture of the Novel" and "Gospels of Self-Reliance" are possibly the best in this volume, and here Grant departs from the more summary presentation that characterizes much of the rest of this book; he is more relaxed, humorous and a bit more personal and even passionate in his approach to these subjects. The curiously titled "Gospels of Self-Reliance" deals primarily with Marcus Aurelius, Plotinus and the Middle Platonists.
The last section, "From Paganism to Christianity", is a bit more summary again, and as well somewhat simplistic in its approach, though – again – it does provide a fairly decent overview of the various developments in this period.
While Grant is perhaps not entirely convincing in his assertion that this period represents the "climax" of Rome, he nevertheless shows with great clarity that this was indeed a period of "far-reaching and decisive" importance both politically and culturally, and it’s well worth the read.




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This is an excellent survey of the last several hundred years of the Roman Empire before its total collapse (due, some would say, to the bubonic plague of 541 - 544 and subsequent plagues). This is about the 'Climax of Rome,' and so does not really cover the subsequent collapse of the empire. I am giving this four stars, and I recommend "Justinian's Flea," by William Rosen to cover the subsequent collapse of Rome and the rise of European Nation-States. So, ( )

A comprehensive survey of the history and culture of this poorly documented period. While this era is often seen as a period of decline, Grant's thesis is that the ability of Rome to survive the increasing pressures of foreign invaders and to assimilate diverse ideas is a mark of a civilization at its height, even if those pressures and ideas would ultimately bring an end to Roman culture. The book gets more interesting as it passes from a recitation of political and military history to art, literature, philosophy, and religion. I thought the section on Marcus Aurelius's stoicism and Plotinus's Neoplatonism was especially fine. ( )

the Final Achievements of the Ancient World AD 161-337

A comprehensive and well researched account of the centuries of the Roman empire that are generally less well known, after the universally known first century AD but before the complete disintegration of the empire in the West. I found it a little too dry for general reading, so did not finish, but will retain for reference.