In this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a new solution to one of the greatest mysteries in history: the strange death of the all-powerful Roman Empire.

From the magnificent triumph of the imperial Roman court to the dark, dense forests of Barbaricum, the author illuminates the astonishing success of the Roman Empire and its panoramic end through a highly captivating and revealing narrative.

The fall of the world's greatest empire, from the tumultuous invasions of barbarian peoples from northern Europe, marked its fragmentation, its forced relocation to Byzantium, and the shaping of a new era...