New Rome: The Empire in the East

Historian Stephenson (Constantine) delivers a sweeping survey of the disintegration of the western Roman empire and the emergence of Byzantium, the Christian empire centered in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Covering the period from the division of the Roman empire between eastern and western rulers in 395 CE to the Muslim conquests of the seventh century, Stephenson draws on the “new science of Roman history” to reveal how climate change, pandemics, invading tribes, and near-constant warfare led to the decline of ancient cities whose culture and tax revenues underpinned the imperial system. For example, radionuclide and cave mineral deposits reveal that the empire experienced a long period of declining sunlight and less rain beginning in the middle of the fourth century, which contributed to a loss in cultivable land and the disruption of trade networks. Stephenson also delves into doctrinal disputes within Christianity, details rulers’ efforts to ban “public spectacles and entertainments” that often led to riots, explains how the “existential” war between Rome and Persia weakened both empires’ abilities to withstand Arab invasions, and notes the rise in apocalyptic literature as the western Roman empire broke apart. Skillfully interweaving economic, environmental, and social history, this impressive chronicle offers an eye-opening perspective on a period of dramatic change. (Jan.)