Rome in Late Antiquity: Everyday Life and Urban Change, Ad 312-609

"Rome in Late Antiquity" examines the city's radical transformation from the capital of the classical Roman empire to the center of medieval Christendom. Between the early fourth and early sixth century, Rome faced the ordeals of destruction and the impoverishment of its population, while churches came to dominate where once there had been pagan temples and imperial monuments. Bertrand Lancon's evocative depictions of everyday life for inhabitants, popes, and aristocrats capture the vitality of the city in flux during these three crucial centuries. First published in French, Lancon's nuanced account of this turbulent period in Rome's past combines elegant prose with meticulous scholarship. Also inlcludes six maps.