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Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation
18 hours 21 mins
Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire painted a portrait of the Roman Empire in a long, debilitating slide to oblivion, but now historians have reevaluated this picture to create a radically different understanding of the period now known as "late antiquity." Far from being a period of decline and fall, late antiquity marked one of history's great turning points.
These 36 half-hour lectures take you through five momentous centuries that link the classical world with the modern, beginning with Rome near its pinnacle of power and geographical extent and ending with the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islam, and a succession of barbarian Christian kingdoms.
You'll explore key features of late antiquity including how this tripartite division occurred; the memorable rulers and religious leaders who led the way; and the architecture, visual arts, and literature of the period. You also study what it was like to live in the late antique world: How did people earn their livings?
What was the role of women in society? What distinguished the great cities of the era?
Nothing in Rome's previous experience compared with the ferment of late antiquity, which saw the unpredictable growth of new institutions, states, religions, and arts. After taking this course you will never think of the barbarians and the "fall" of Rome in quite the same way again. Your imagination will be alive with the incidents, innovations, and peoples of an exciting era that gave birth to us all: late antiquity.
Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire painted a portrait of the Roman Empire in a long, debilitating slide to oblivion, but now historians have reevaluated this picture to create a radically different understanding of the period now known as "late antiquity." Far from being a period of decline and fall, late antiquity marked one of history's great turning points.
These 36 half-hour lectures take you through five momentous centuries that link the classical world with the modern, beginning with Rome near its pinnacle of power and geographical extent and ending with the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islam, and a succession of barbarian Christian kingdoms.
You'll explore key features of late antiquity including how this tripartite division occurred; the memorable rulers and religious leaders who led the way; and the architecture, visual arts, and literature of the period. You also study what it was like to live in the late antique world: How did people earn their livings?
What was the role of women in society? What distinguished the great cities of the era?
Nothing in Rome's previous experience compared with the ferment of late antiquity, which saw the unpredictable growth of new institutions, states, religions, and arts. After taking this course you will never think of the barbarians and the "fall" of Rome in quite the same way again. Your imagination will be alive with the incidents, innovations, and peoples of an exciting era that gave birth to us all: late antiquity.
19 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Thomas F.X. Noble
160 books20 followersProfessor, Department of History, University of Notre Dame.
Medieval, Mediterranean, religious; the city of Rome, the papacy, late antiquity, the Carolingians, the West and Byzantium.
Medieval, Mediterranean, religious; the city of Rome, the papacy, late antiquity, the Carolingians, the West and Byzantium.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 30, 2025
Read the course guidebook in its entirety (172 pages; the Goodreads entry’s page numbering is incorrect). Also watched the 36 thirty-minute lectures (18 hours) and thoroughly—I mean, thoroughly—enjoyed it.
March 7, 2016
Audio download
For those considering purchase (why else would you be reading reviews?), these lectures are informative and sometimes detailed in explaining the context of this period of time from the perspective of Christians...and that in no way is meant to be a criticism. Prof Noble teaches at Notre Dame and holds a doctorate in Christian and classical history, and was President (for 2012) of the American Catholic Historical Association. More importantly, he's a very good and well-organized lecturer/speaker. His biases are my biases (for the most part) since we share a similar cultural background.
These lectures cover the time period often referred to as the Fall of the Roman Empire...the lectures are about why that isn't necessarily the case. The reviews on The Great Courses website are great...some of the reviewers are so articulate and perceptive that it often makes me wonder how I could have missed some of their observations. I encourage you to read some of these prior to the lectures...you will get more from the course if you do.
My only addition to the comments comes from a trip I took to the site of Ephesus, near Selçuk, Turkey. At this location you can wander through the ruins of an influential Roman city (especially in the early portions of the Late Antique period) then you can move passed the modern city with prominent mosques on to the Basilica of St. John (constructed during the time of Justinian...using many of the building blocks from the nearby ruins of the Temple of Artemis) giving you clear examples of the transitions from pagan Rome to Christian Rome/Byzantium to Islamic domination. For me, it brought the lectures to life...giving them the context to understand the perspective of dramatic changes and transitions through time. It made me ask myself what future lecturers will say about the changes occurring around us today that we cannot begin to recognize.
Good, thought-provoking course that you'll enjoy even more with a coupon during a sale.
For those considering purchase (why else would you be reading reviews?), these lectures are informative and sometimes detailed in explaining the context of this period of time from the perspective of Christians...and that in no way is meant to be a criticism. Prof Noble teaches at Notre Dame and holds a doctorate in Christian and classical history, and was President (for 2012) of the American Catholic Historical Association. More importantly, he's a very good and well-organized lecturer/speaker. His biases are my biases (for the most part) since we share a similar cultural background.
These lectures cover the time period often referred to as the Fall of the Roman Empire...the lectures are about why that isn't necessarily the case. The reviews on The Great Courses website are great...some of the reviewers are so articulate and perceptive that it often makes me wonder how I could have missed some of their observations. I encourage you to read some of these prior to the lectures...you will get more from the course if you do.
My only addition to the comments comes from a trip I took to the site of Ephesus, near Selçuk, Turkey. At this location you can wander through the ruins of an influential Roman city (especially in the early portions of the Late Antique period) then you can move passed the modern city with prominent mosques on to the Basilica of St. John (constructed during the time of Justinian...using many of the building blocks from the nearby ruins of the Temple of Artemis) giving you clear examples of the transitions from pagan Rome to Christian Rome/Byzantium to Islamic domination. For me, it brought the lectures to life...giving them the context to understand the perspective of dramatic changes and transitions through time. It made me ask myself what future lecturers will say about the changes occurring around us today that we cannot begin to recognize.
Good, thought-provoking course that you'll enjoy even more with a coupon during a sale.
December 1, 2020
I picked this up as a followup to Part I of Prof. Thomas Madden's "The Medieval World" course series with The Modern Scholar and a few others I recently finished from The Great Courses including Philip Daileader's three-part series on the Middle Ages and Thomas Williams' course on philosophy, Reason & Faith. Of the many similar lecture series I've recently finished therefore, I found this one to be the most disappointing. Late Antiquity drags in a few places and I had trouble focusing for some of the lectures. If you're interested in the history of the middle ages (which I clearly am), I'd recommend it, but only after finishing the rest of the series listed above and perhaps also Peter Kreeft's lectures on Thomas Aquinas from The Modern Scholar as well.
April 18, 2012
OK. Heavily focused on religion and Christian fathers. Rome didn't "fall," in any event, but gradually splintered and was superseded by other empires.
January 4, 2020
For some odd reason, over the course of last couple of years, I keep 'bumping' into crisis of third century and 'dark ages' that followed. And with every 'bump' I find it quite fascinating how different historians can analyze same events, sources, processes and come to quite different conclusions.
Professor Noble uses his 36 lectures for a walkthrough of crisis of third century and its consequences on Roman Empire all the way to the end of 8th century, at which time (at least according to the good professor) the transformation of Byzantine Empire into its 'Greek' form was complete. Breath and scope of material covered by those lectures as well as the amount of information in each of them is quite impressive. Mandatory chronological narrative is complemented by thorough analysis of politics, economy and culture in Rome/Bysantium as well as in areas taken over by 'Barbarians'. Special attention is given to turbulent history of early Christianity and its journey from irrelevance and obscurity to dominant role as universal religion of Romans and barbarians alike. The overview of the period is made complete with couple of lectures dedicated to Islam and impact of the rise of Islamic Caliphate on already existing powers in the region.
As a learning experience, this set of lectures is definitely one of the best I've gone through so far. It provides a deep and multi-faceted picture of the era. I would recommend it without reservation as an introduction to subject matter. What's even more important, the good professor has a knack for telling a good story, so those lectures are actually also fun to listen to.
I would however raise a warning finger regarding professor's overall conclusions about that era and the topic of 'fall of Roman Empire' in particular. True, Gibbon's apocalyptic description of 'dark ages' is most probably a hyperbole, most modern scholars seem to agree on that point. But claiming that the 'Fall' was really just a seamless transformation into something slightly different, but the same nevertheless... that's going a bit too far IMHO. For contrast and comparison, I would warmly recommend Peter Heather's "Empires and Barbarians".
Professor Noble uses his 36 lectures for a walkthrough of crisis of third century and its consequences on Roman Empire all the way to the end of 8th century, at which time (at least according to the good professor) the transformation of Byzantine Empire into its 'Greek' form was complete. Breath and scope of material covered by those lectures as well as the amount of information in each of them is quite impressive. Mandatory chronological narrative is complemented by thorough analysis of politics, economy and culture in Rome/Bysantium as well as in areas taken over by 'Barbarians'. Special attention is given to turbulent history of early Christianity and its journey from irrelevance and obscurity to dominant role as universal religion of Romans and barbarians alike. The overview of the period is made complete with couple of lectures dedicated to Islam and impact of the rise of Islamic Caliphate on already existing powers in the region.
As a learning experience, this set of lectures is definitely one of the best I've gone through so far. It provides a deep and multi-faceted picture of the era. I would recommend it without reservation as an introduction to subject matter. What's even more important, the good professor has a knack for telling a good story, so those lectures are actually also fun to listen to.
I would however raise a warning finger regarding professor's overall conclusions about that era and the topic of 'fall of Roman Empire' in particular. True, Gibbon's apocalyptic description of 'dark ages' is most probably a hyperbole, most modern scholars seem to agree on that point. But claiming that the 'Fall' was really just a seamless transformation into something slightly different, but the same nevertheless... that's going a bit too far IMHO. For contrast and comparison, I would warmly recommend Peter Heather's "Empires and Barbarians".
May 22, 2022
In this Great Course, Notre Dame Professor Thomas Noble lectures about the period from about 250 CE to 800 CE, in thirty six lectures. The focus is always on Rome, even when it is not on Rome. Noble discusses the various political leaders, religions, wars and economies of the mostly Mediterranean part of the world.
I was surprised that he spends so many lectures on the development and growth of Christianity but only introduces Islam. However, Christianity had been around longer.
Noble makes several references to Gibbons’ The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire I’ve read about some recent research on climate and disease which questions some of Gibbons theories, but these are being published now and this Great Course was completed in 2008.
Late Antiquity was a good continuation of another Great Course which I recently listened to: Gregory Aldrets’s History Of The Ancient World: A Global Perspective.
Noble is a good speaker, despite some stuttering, and is easy to listen to and understand.
I was surprised that he spends so many lectures on the development and growth of Christianity but only introduces Islam. However, Christianity had been around longer.
Noble makes several references to Gibbons’ The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire I’ve read about some recent research on climate and disease which questions some of Gibbons theories, but these are being published now and this Great Course was completed in 2008.
Late Antiquity was a good continuation of another Great Course which I recently listened to: Gregory Aldrets’s History Of The Ancient World: A Global Perspective.
Noble is a good speaker, despite some stuttering, and is easy to listen to and understand.
March 17, 2022
Superb series of 36 lectures. However there were some troubling errors that I noticed when the course touched on areas I know well. For example:
- lecturer was adamant King Arthur was entirely mythical, yet there is strong circumstantial evidence for a British leader who temporarily beat back the invading Angles, Saxons etc. - including the archeological record showing a 50 year pause in Anglo-Saxon settlement
- thought Heraclius the Elder and Emperor Heraclius were the same person
- thought Christians and Jews were largely left alone in territories conquered by Islam, with no pressure to convert - downplaying the crushing taxes and restrictions
- downplayed the collapse of Roman authority in the West, referring to it as a 'transformation' rather than a 'fall' which is a myth which ignores the loss of the interconnected system of the Roman world, not to mention the decline in economy, infrastructure, and military strength
- lecturer was adamant King Arthur was entirely mythical, yet there is strong circumstantial evidence for a British leader who temporarily beat back the invading Angles, Saxons etc. - including the archeological record showing a 50 year pause in Anglo-Saxon settlement
- thought Heraclius the Elder and Emperor Heraclius were the same person
- thought Christians and Jews were largely left alone in territories conquered by Islam, with no pressure to convert - downplaying the crushing taxes and restrictions
- downplayed the collapse of Roman authority in the West, referring to it as a 'transformation' rather than a 'fall' which is a myth which ignores the loss of the interconnected system of the Roman world, not to mention the decline in economy, infrastructure, and military strength
January 2, 2025
This course provides a decent overview of Late Antiquity, though Professor Noble sounds kind of like a mix of a speedy Casey Kasem and Bob Newhart. Lots of stammering, verbal tics (using: OK, alright, you know, and you see, as well as throat clearing), and at times, long pauses. If you can deal with that, you will come away with a better understanding of the time period, but in hindsight I think I'd go for a book/course with a different narrator.
March 19, 2020
Between 4 and 4.5 Stars
A very fascinating look at how late antiquity slowly transformed into the "Middle Ages." A highly misunderstood period which deserves a deeper look. Noble spends a lot of time on Christianity and religion, but that's his background. Some of the lectures could've been more streamlined. However, well-organized overall.
A very fascinating look at how late antiquity slowly transformed into the "Middle Ages." A highly misunderstood period which deserves a deeper look. Noble spends a lot of time on Christianity and religion, but that's his background. Some of the lectures could've been more streamlined. However, well-organized overall.
December 19, 2020
In Professor Noble's view, the transformative factor between the Roman Empires and the Middle Ages was the conquest of the Roman world by Christianity. He makes a good case for it. I was glad to have the printed book of the lectures, because it wasn't uncommon for me to doze off momentarily while viewing.
January 11, 2023
An excellent course delivered with passion and some humour. While I’m not sure I agree with all of its conclusions - I think virginity culture came to Christianity in Rome, notably - I very much appreciated its depth of focus on the Islamic world as well as the Christian one as the heir of Rome.
July 10, 2021
What was all this we learned about the “Dark Ages”? Professor Noble is great academic but an even better storyteller.
July 23, 2025
Really well researched and easy to follow.
March 23, 2025
3.5 Stars. Honestly, I've enjoyed some of the other courses on the period more, but Professor Noble here does a better job of outlining and synthesizing the various forces at work on peoples and nations of the period. The course is not a strictly old-fashioned chronological procession of events. It jumps back and forth a bit, but generally in service of exploration of the lesson's concept or to follow some crisis to conclusion. The good professor gently refreshes our memories from time to time, and also helps us draw the connections as appropriate between events in one part of the Mediterranean world versus the other (note bene: that is the setting for the course. China, Asia, and India are just off stage. The Americas are nowhere in our field of view).
It's also a little refreshing to hear a tenured history professor unashamedly point out the outsized role dumb luck played in the course of human events.
Professor Noble also has one of the best concluding lectures I've heard in a 'Great Course', summarizing everything in a very human and humanizing way, showing you how four hundred years of gradual change suddenly deposits you in a very different world than the one you started in, even as some continuities shine. He also strikingly points out just how much of our 'modern' world began in that same window of time.
It's also a little refreshing to hear a tenured history professor unashamedly point out the outsized role dumb luck played in the course of human events.
Professor Noble also has one of the best concluding lectures I've heard in a 'Great Course', summarizing everything in a very human and humanizing way, showing you how four hundred years of gradual change suddenly deposits you in a very different world than the one you started in, even as some continuities shine. He also strikingly points out just how much of our 'modern' world began in that same window of time.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews