The Fate of Rome is a scholarly, up-to-date academic consensus of the research surrounding the fall of the Roman Empire. It is as close as I can probably get to a school course within a book and without having to do the reading which I never do anyway because I believe in going to lecture.

This book starts with the reign of Marcus Aurelius and moves through the 200-300 year process of Rome’s decline. It really gets into the weeds, discussing precisely what the transition from “Rome” to “not Rome” meant on a broad scale as well as for the citizens who lived it.

The book takes a new angle from previous research without dismissing those insights. Focusing on the climate and making clear points as to the unusual weather that existed during the rise and glory of the Empire, the book also makes clear the consequences once those conditions began to reverse. Europe during that time used to be much warmer and humid place - and that greatly improves the crop yields of the people who lived in it. The population exploded under this different climate regime.

At the same time though, people lived unhealthier lives. They might have had a lot to eat, but they suffered from many ailments such as parasites and malaria. This is shown in their general lack of height. They averaged a full 3-4 inches shorter than people today.

This lack of health turned out to be a disaster once the Plagues swept through the Empire. There were three - Antonine (smallpox), Cyprian (unknown), and the Plague of Justinian (bubonic). The book does an amazing job of tracing the origin and the epidemiology of these diseases. This is highly original and up to date and worth the price of admission alone.

All in all, this is a fantastic book that I enthusiastically recommend to any student of history. I am struck by the anecdotes of what it really felt to be a citizen of Rome. I am also enlightened by where in the stories whereupon we lack the information to know more. I truly wish that we can know more.