Module Information

Traditionally, ancient history ended and early medieval history began with the fall of the West Roman empire in A.D. 476. Divided between Classics and History departments, the trends and changes crossing the 476 divide were ignored by modern scholars, as were continuities in the eastern Mediterranean and Near East. However, since Peter Brown’s seminal The World of Late Antiquity, Late Antiquity has been considered a period worthy of study in its own right, and publications on its history, art history and archaeology have proliferated. This was not just an era of decline and fall, but of religious, intellectual, literary and artistic syncretism, as pagan religious beliefs, rituals and practices mingled with those of Christianity, the new religion of Rome, and of other religions such as Zoroastrianism and Judaism. Cultural interaction and transition also characterised Roman relations with Germanic, Hun, Bedouin and Persian groups, from the Atlantic coast to the Mesopotamian desert. This module will introduce students to this crucial period of European and Near Eastern history, from the division of the Roman empire during the rule of four emperors in the late 3rd c. to the rise of Islam and Byzantium in the 7th c.

Following the political, military and religious crises of the 3rd c., the Roman empire was teetering on the brink of extinction. It survived through political division, administrative reform, the adoption of Christianity, and the integration of non-Roman groups from beyond its frontiers. These developments resulted in an incredible period of religious and cultural change and integration. This module will chart the transition from Rome to the Middle Ages in western and eastern Europe, North Africa and the Near East across the period now known as Late Antiquity. While focusing principally on the West and East Roman empires, students will also examine developments within western European and North African Germanic successor kingdoms, the East Roman empire, and the Sasanian Persian empire in the Near East. They will draw upon contemporary textual sources, visual and material evidence to explore key issues such as the rise of Roman Christendom, the great barbarian migrations, the fall of the West Roman empire and the survival and prosperity of the East Roman empire.