Plato and Platonism: Plato's Conception of Appearance and Reality in Ontology, Epistemology, and Ethics, and Its Modern Echoes Book

I am a history major studying at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Originally, after graduating with my associates I intended to study classical history dealing with the Greek and Roman civilizations. My first semester at UIS I took a class on Late Antiquity and it this was book and his first one that changed the course of my study. For me, this book is a sort of holy grail that has in a very unique way altered the course of my academic career.

It is important to understand that Brown is considered the father of "Late Antiquity Studies" even though the term was in use before his book in 1971. In his original work Brown made the argument that Rome never fell and assesses this time frame traditionally known as the dark ages as a period of "continuity and transformation." His core arguments are:

1.) it is hard to argue for a fall in 410 A.D. and again in 476 A.D. when the capital of Rome was Constantinople.
2). People living in this period saw no distiniction between themselves and Romans.
3). this period was far more dramatic and dynamic.

In this book Brown tries to tie up some of the loose ends left answered in his small work titled the "World of Late Antiquity" released in 1971.

Brown sees the splitting of the Empire into a tetrachy as the initial change that denotes the shift between antiquity and post-classical society. The Rise of Constantine and Christianity had a profound impact on the culture of Europe. There were harsh realities to consider and Brown acknowledges that some places in the Roman Empire experienced economic involution (although not all places). He still maintains that Roman culture continues and it is gradually changed over the course of about 600 years.

Brown sees that the city of Rome looses its centrality and new centers and peripheries develops.Although there are times that Brown seems inconsistent on this point overall it is a great idea. He also diminishes the role played by barbarian invasions and sees them as less significant than what historians have thought. Many of the Barbarians actually tried to assimilate Latin culture although that was not always effective. He also argues that the kind of wealth changes and portable wealth becomes more important as relics become an important part of Late Antique culture.

Brown believes that the significant shift from one world to another took place in about 700-800 with the rise of Islam and the ascension of Charlemagne. He thinks that the people of this period began to see Rome as a part of the past and look back instead of considering themselves one in the same. It is great to read this as an expansion of his first book "The World of Late Antiquity." For an alternative reading one might consider looking at Bryan Ward Perkins' book "The Fall of Rome and the end of civilization." At least you can see both arguments. This is a great book and one worth reading.