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

Overview

Course No. 3450
Join a Harvard professor to examine the meaning and impact of Edward Gibbon’s masterpiece.

Published in six volumes between 1776 and 1781, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire remains one of history’s most monumental works. These 24 lectures provide a chapter-by-chapter guide to Gibbon’s chronicle of Rome’s fall to “barbarism and religion,” examining its themes, structure, and lasting influence.

Professor Damrosch helps you navigate this 1.5 million-word masterpiece as both a historical document and a product of Enlightenment thought. The course covers key events including the reign of the Antonines, the rise of Christianity and Islam, the Crusades, and the dawn of medieval Europe.

Video Lectures

1. The Greatness of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall (32 min)
   Introduction to why Gibbon’s work remains essential reading today.
2. The Making of Gibbon the Historian (29 min)
   Explore Edward Gibbon’s intellectual development and influences.
3. The Empire at Its Beginning (30 min)
   Essential background on early Roman history.
4. The Theory and Practice of History (29 min)
   How Gibbon revolutionized historical writing.
5. The Golden Age of the Antonines (30 min)
   Examining Rome’s “five good emperors.”
6. The Hidden Poison Begins to Work (30 min)
   The decline after the Antonines’ peaceful reign.
7. Diocletian and the Triumph of Constantine (31 min)
   Barbarian threats and imperial reforms.
8. Enlightenment Skepticism (32 min)
   Gibbon’s controversial treatment of Christianity.
9. The Rise of Christianity (30 min)
   Analyzing Gibbon’s five causes for Christianity’s success.
10. Constantine and Athanasius (31 min)
    The transfer to Constantinople and theological controversies.
11. Julian and the Return to Paganism (30 min)
    The last attempt to reinstate Olympian gods.
12. Barbarian Advances and Theodosius (31 min)
    Growing threats and the rule of Theodosius.
13. East and West Divided (31 min)
    Rome’s fracture and the sack of 410 A.D.
14. Huns and Vandals (30 min)
    Waves of barbarian invaders and monastic growth.
15. Theodoric and Justinian (31 min)
    Gothic kings and Byzantine emperors.
16. The Breakup of the Empire (31 min)
    The rise of France and the papacy.
17. The Byzantine Empire and Charlemagne (29 min)
    Gibbon’s “great man” approach to medieval history.
18. The Rise of Islam (30 min)
    Gibbon’s account of Muhammad and early Islam.
19. The Byzantine Empire in the 10th Century (32 min)
    Shrinking Byzantium and expanding Turks.
20. The Crusades (33 min)
    Religion as rationale for European expansion.
21. Genghis Khan and Tamerlane (30 min)
    The dawn of the Ottoman Empire.
22. The Fall of Constantinople (31 min)
    Byzantium’s final defeat.
23. The End of Gibbon’s Work (29 min)
    How Gibbon concluded his monumental history.
24. Decline and Fall in Modern Perspective (33 min)
    Re-evaluating Gibbon’s work in the 21st century.