31: Interview: Historian Kyle Harper on Disease, Climate and the Fall of the Roman Empire
How did a changing climate and plague play into the fall of the Roman Empire? I'm joined by Kyle Harper, Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss his important new book The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, ...
30: Tides of History: Natural Disasters and the End of the Roman Empire
Justinian was the last great Roman emperor, but his reign was plagued by disasters beyond his control: volcanic eruptions, a changing climate, and a plague of epic proportions. Those disasters created a turning point that we can, with good reason, ...
29: Tides of History: Justinian the Great and the Reconquest of the Western Empire
Justinian is one of the defining figures of the Roman Empire. In many ways, he marks the boundary between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. In this episode, we explore his ambitious reform program and his reconquest of the lost provinces ...
28: Tides of History: How the Eastern Roman Empire Survived Attila the Hun and the Disastrous Fifth Century
While the western half of the Roman Empire was collapsing, the east managed to weather the storm of the disastrous fifth century. In this episode, we examine how and why it survived Attila the Hun and a host of other ...
27: Tides of History: Why Didn't The Eastern Empire Fall?
When we talk about the fall of the Roman Empire, we're only talking about the western half - France, Spain, Italy, North Africa, and Britain. The eastern half of the Roman Empire survived the disastrous fifth century and would last ...
26: Tides of History: How Latin Became the Romance Languages
How did Latin splinter into the Romance languages? In this episode, we explore how Latin transformed from a single, widely dispersed language into a series - French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, and so on - of related but no longer ...
25: Tides of History: The Decline and Fall of the Roman City
Cities were what made the Roman world Roman, but as the Empire fell apart, so did its cities. They shrank drastically or disappeared entirely between 400 and 600. In today's episode, we'll find out how and why. Subscribe today so ...
Summary
Barbarians, political breakdown, economic collapse, mass migration, pillaging and plunder. The fall of the Roman Empire has been studied for years, but genetics, climate science, forensic science, network models, and globalization studies have reshaped our understanding of one of the most important events in human history.
Featured Article: The Best History Podcasts of All Time
If you’re a history buff looking for a new podcast to check out, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the array of options available. There are literally thousands of podcasts focusing on every corner of history.
What listeners say about The Fall of Rome Podcast (Ad-free)
I love taking deep dives into history, if you do as well this is a great podcast for you!
