Book of the Week: "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Edward Gibbon

Keywords: ancient Rome, Roman Empire, decline of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, military history of ancient Rome, Byzantine Empire

"The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a major literary achievement of the Eighteenth Century, was written by the English historian, Edward Gibbon. Volume I was published in 1776, and went through five printings (a remarkable feat for its time). Volume II was printed in 1781, and the final one in 1788. The original volumes were not published together, but as quartos, a common publishing practice.

The books cover the period of the Roman Empire after Marcus Aurelius from just before 180 to 1453 and beyond, concluding in 1590. They take as their material the behavior and decisions that led to the decay and eventual fall of the Roman Empire in the East and West, offering an explanation on why the Roman Empire fell."
Source: Wikipedia

Discuss:
Why did Rome collapse? - All Empires
The Forum - roman-empire.net
The Roman Empire - MySpace
Roma Victor! - MySpace
Byzantine Empire and Related Histories - MySpace

Learn:
The Roman Empire
Mediterranean, Greece & Rome - All Empires
Rome - MIT OCW
Roman Empire - About.com

Audio:
12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of The Byzantine Empire - anders.com