The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ( German: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ) is a historical work of the British historian Edward Gibbon.

Content

The work was published in 1776-1789 and is considered a seminal work of modern historiography. It deals with the fall of the Roman Empire and the subsequent Byzantine history in (originally ) six volumes. Starting from the time of Marcus Aurelius, the time of the Imperial Crisis of the 3rd century and the late antiquity will be treated subsequently. This is followed by a presentation of the Byzantine period. The work ends with the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Reception

The estimates contained in factory no longer meet modern research opinion, which is why it is outdated in many areas due to recent research. However, just having the issue, the literary quality and impressive for its time processing of the sources (though not always critical ) ensured that Gibbons work today applies with his powerful, often very personal representation of a classic.

While still alive, the work was very controversial, especially with regard Gibbons versions to Christianity. This gave a certain complicity in the downfall of the kingdom and accused all of the emergent late antique imperial church before increasing intolerance. These and other designs were completely new and more shocked contemporary readers. But Gibbon looked not at all Christian personalities and negatively judged the last pagan emperor Julian the policy to be wrong, because according to Gibbons view any attempt to want to make advanced Christianization undone already, could only cause harm. Due to several hostile to Gibbon was forced to defend his relevant observations. In more recent research Gibbons versions to the downfall of the Empire become quite considered critical to the west; is entered rather for a more differentiated analysis of the causes of the downfall of the Western Roman Empire ( as Ostrom / Byzantium, which Gibbon estimated rather low, there was still almost 1000 years away ).

Gibbon has more than previously used the sources, which is confirmed by numerous notes and questions, although here yet deficiencies are noted by modern standards. He also developed the first scholar Late Antiquity scientifically what a lasting merit of his monumental representation, to which today reflect modern researchers, although they make other interpretations and no longer consider the late antique empire as a military despotism. The material- rich presentation explains, in addition to the successful literary narrative that still existing interest in his work. Gibbon himself is because also sometimes referred to as the first modern historian, at least based on the Roman Empire.

Expenditure

• The History of the Decline and the Fall of the Roman Empire, London, Vol 1 1776/1789, 2nd - 3rd Vol 1781, 4th - 6th Vol 1788. (Original edition )
• The History of the Decline and the Fall of the Roman Empire, ed. v. John B. Bury, 7 vols, London 1896-1900. ( Edition with numerous comments of Bury, which, however, no longer reflect the current state of research; online here. )
• The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ed. v. David Womersley, 3 vols, Penguin Publishing, New York in 1994. ( Now authoritative English edition with introduction and commentary, Volume 3 contains Gibbons Vindication. )
• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By the end of the empire in the West, translated from English by Michael Walter and Walter Kumpmann, with an introduction by Wilfried nipple, 6 vols, dtv, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-423-59062-9. ( Successful new German translation, with only the chapters are up to the year 476. Having a good introduction to the life and work of Gibbons. ) Digital version of: Direct Media, Berlin 2007 ( Digital Library, Volume 161) ISBN 978-3-89853-561-8