The End of the Ancient World and the Beginnings of the Middle Ages
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Narrated by:
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Charlton Griffin
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By:
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Ferdinand Lot
About this listen
Ferdinand Lot (1866-1952) was one of the great historians of his generation, and the transition from Roman to Medieval civilization was a process that fascinated him most of his life. Rather than placing the emphasis for Rome’s fall on purely political or military reasons, Lot put forth multiple explanations for the birth of the Middle Ages which embrace not only politics and war, but linguistic, geographic, cultural, social, and economic factors. Today we take these reasons for granted, not realizing this line of reasoning was established by Lot.
According to Lot, the Roman Empire became an enormous trade sphere with its population clustered close to the sprawling shores of the Mediterranean. It’s decline was a result of economic retrogression in the west as the wealth was gradually transferred to the workshops, merchants, and granaries of the east which supplied the west with its food and luxury goods. Meanwhile, as the military and welfare needs in the west continued to rise, impoverishment of the ever decreasing tax base set in. In its desperate attempt to hold things together, the Roman government became ever more grasping, even as the bulk of the population is reduced to serfdom. By the time the frontiers are being overrun, there has taken place a psychological change in men’s minds. The barbarian invasions merely transfer ownership of the wretched system.
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- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Vitality floods its pages. Philosophers and kings, warriors and merchants, poets and financiers come alive as the story ranges across time and the globe. From ancient Palestine through Europe and the Orient, to America and modern Israel, Max Dimont shows how the saga of the Jews is interwoven with the history of virtually every nation on earth.
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Grand in scope and depth
- By Joe on 08-27-12
By: Max I. Dimont
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Constantine and the Conversion of Europe
- By: Arnold Jones
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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By the end of Diocletian's reign in the opening years of the fourth century, the pagan world had collapsed into the arms of a multicultural religious movement which had spread from the eastern Mediterranean. These were the "mystery religions" which had been in competition with one another for a century. By the time of Constantine, they had spread everywhere within the empire. But one of these religions, Christianity, was chosen by the young emperor.
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A Lot of Potentially Boring Detail
- By Christopher on 07-08-10
By: Arnold Jones
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The Fall of the Roman Empire
- A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart.
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A New HIstory but not a better history
- By Mario on 03-28-14
By: Peter Heather
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The Roman Republic: A Captivating Guide to the Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic, SPQR and Roman Politicians Such as Julius Caesar and Cicero
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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When we think of ancient Rome, the first notion that comes to mind is the one of the empire, followed by the image of a mighty emperor, his legions, colossal buildings, and the Gladiators (or the rhetoric and poetry, depending on your preferences). Some may recall the image of a “unified” Europe under a single sovereign - the emperor of Rome. However, Rome did not become remarkable at this considerably late phase. In fact, many historians see the history of Rome under the Emperors as a long, gradual decline. It was during the republic that Rome gained an empire.
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SERIOUSLY bad, 3rd grade reading level.
- By Jake on 02-26-19
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The Restoration of Rome
- Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In AD 476, the last of Rome's emperors, known as "Augustulus", was deposed by a barbarian general, the son of one of Attila the Hun's henchmen. With the imperial vestments dispatched to Constantinople, the curtain fell on the Roman empire in Western Europe, its territories divided among successor kingdoms constructed around barbarian military manpower. But, if the Roman Empire was dead, Romans across much of the old empire still lived, holding on to their lands, their values, and their institutions.
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Byzantine Empire Stands Tall!
- By Placeholder on 05-22-14
By: Peter Heather
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The Civilization of the Middle Ages
- By: Norman F. Cantor
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 28 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Civilization of the Middle Ages incorporates current research, recent trends in interpretation, and novel perspectives, especially on the foundations of the Middle Ages and the Later Middle Ages of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A sharper focus on social history, Jewish history, women’s roles in society, and popular religion and heresy distinguish the book.
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Recommended for students
- By Delano on 12-18-11
By: Norman F. Cantor
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Ancient Greece, Second Edition
- From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times
- By: Thomas R. Martin
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compact yet comprehensive history of ancient Greece, Thomas R. Martin brings alive Greek civilization from its Stone Age roots to the fourth century BC. Focusing on the development of the Greek city-state and the society, culture, and architecture of Athens in its Golden Age, Martin integrates political, military, social, and cultural history in a book that will appeal to students and general audiences alike. Now in its second edition, this classic work now features updates throughout.
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Just the way I like it!
- By TracyB on 07-25-18
By: Thomas R. Martin
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The Spartans
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Spartans of ancient Greece were a powerful and unique people, radically different from any civilization before or since. A society of warrior-heroes, they were living exemplars of self-sacrifice, community endeavor, and achievement against all odds, qualities that today signify the ultimate in heroism. Scholars even believe that Thomas More had Sparta specifically in mind when he coined the term "Utopia".
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Not a place to go to learn about the Spartans
- By James on 10-22-07
By: Paul Cartledge
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The Islamic Enlightenment
- The Struggle Between Faith and Reason: 1798 to Modern Times
- By: Christopher de Bellaigue
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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This absorbing account of the political and social reformations that transformed the lands of Islam during the 19th and early 20th centuries offers a game-changing assessment of the Middle East. Beginning his account in 1798, de Bellaigue demonstrates how the Middle East has long welcomed modern ideals and practices, including the adoption of modern medicine, the emergence of women from seclusion, and the development of democracy.
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fascinating story not told.elsewhere in one place
- By Joseph Sullivan on 11-30-21
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Fire and Blood
- A History of Mexico
- By: T. R. Fehrenbach
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 35 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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T. R. Fehrenbach brilliantly delineates the contrasts and conflicts between the many Mexicos, unraveling the history while weaving a fascinating tapestry of beauty and brutality: the Amerindians, who wrought from the vulnerable land a great indigenous Meso-American civilization by the first millennium BC; the successive reigns of Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Mexic masters, who ruled through an admirably efficient bureaucracy and the power of the priests, propitiating the capricious gods with human sacrifices; the Spanish conquistadors, and much more.
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Good book bad narration
- By M. A. Chris Raine on 03-23-19
By: T. R. Fehrenbach
What listeners say about The End of the Ancient World and the Beginnings of the Middle Ages
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Frank H.
- 05-02-15
Interesting But disjointed & confusing.
I very much enjoyed Charlton Griffin's speaking voice and pronunciation of Latin words. And also Ferdinand Lot's "biting" wit, of the "Old School".
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- TeddyDog
- 07-31-24
For The Bilingual
Ok one thing about this book drives me crazy and it’s a biggie. I assume back when this book was written most people were taught Latin in school (imagine that !). I am fascinated by the Roman Empire and get any book I can find about it. The trouble is that Ferdinand Lot uses lots and lots of Latin terms in this book which are not translated, meaning I don’t know what is being talked about. A significant problem as I do not speak or understand Latin. Sometimes I can figure it out from context but not often.
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- fm2
- 11-26-14
a few tedious spots, but fantastic scope
Lot covers many elements of the decline of the ancient world (science, various art forms, political..etc). The book gives a rare combination of depth of understanding with broad survey. Some would complain that hes not P.C. or 'deliberative enough"-- e.g. he will flat out say that "by the 5th century plastic art had declined and was utterly worthless" A mark of a great historian is one who is capable of and not afraid to give you rapid judgements and explanations on small items. its a bit out of vogue today.
The production--chuckle! well..others have complained about the gongs, the gregorian chants at the end, the weird reverb chamber when the narrator reads quotes. Yes its a bit strange or as some have called it "cheesy". I like griffin well enough though, even if he over emphasizes -sort of like John Houseman in the old smith barney commercials. The weird production is a minor element that has little real impact
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5 people found this helpful
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- Philo
- 11-26-15
A Rome "too vast, too complicated and too cunning"
This time in history has become one of my (always 2 or 3 at a time) "go to" study fixations for now. The countless comparisons and contrasts with our own society and times are irresistible. This work is encyclopedic, moving pretty briskly (its vast scope considered) with a critical eye across laws and government, but also arts, architecture, popular culture, literature, the fates of the trading and servant classes, etc. In the manner of many of these slightly older histories, it moves with a nice cadence, but this one is a bit more patient and detailed than most. It zooms in and out on various topics with reasonable freshness mostly. The Latin words, as for various political titles, are mighty familiar (also showing themselves as precursors of Catholic nomenclature). The book compared to the many others nowadays available does not carry the most artful and sprightly energy, so, I would only recommend it as an early entry in studying this field to those mature and patient and reasonably widely educated already. Only occasionally does some single vivid, piercing imagery leap out (as in the descriptions of vulgar and ghastly sports and entertainments lavished on the city commoners). For such a reader, the rewards are plentiful. My store of knowledge is widened and deepened here, across the very wide range of topics. And in history and social sciences, the tapestry of what causes what is so vast and complex, it takes for me often a vast and complex array of events explained to feel even a little confidence in my notions of what was going on.
Some find this narrator pompous. I think he's great, with a strong and clear and confident voice. Fortunately he is prolific too.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-01-17
Need to simplify and connect the facts.
Comes across as a prejudiced author chasing squirrels. The book highlights the core reasons for the dissolution of the Roman Empire, but many of the good facts are not connected to each other or the fall of Rome.
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