About the Author

James J. O'donnell is a classicist who served for ten years as Provost of Georgetown University and is now University Librarian at Arizona State University. He is the author of several books including Augustine, The Ruin of the Roman Empire, and Avatars of the Word. He is the former president of the American Philological Association, a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, and the chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council of Learned Societies. He is seen here at an ancient monastery on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire, in Syria.

Reviews

"O'Donnell's richly layered book provides significant glimpses into the many factors that leveled a mighty empire." -- Publishers Weekly"A vigorous history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire." -- Kirkus Reviews"Poetic, haunting and humane: a learned and often visceral account of how the Mediterranean ceased to be Roman which serves simultaneously as charge-sheet and lament." -- Tom Holland, author of Rubicon"James O'Donnell's The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History takes as its centrepiece the period of Ostrogothic rule in sixth-century Italy. . . . [It is] revelatory: scholarly and original, unafraid to tackle profound issues of cultural and religious identity, and often hauntingly poetic." -- Times Literary Supplement (London)"An exotic and instructive tale, told with life, learning and just the right measure of laughter on every page. O'Donnell combines a historian's mastery of substance with a born storyteller's sense of style to create a magnificent work of art. Perfect for history-lovers and admirers of great writing alike." -- Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State