Late Antiquity is a term used to describe the period of time that begins after the rise of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the sixth or seventh century, after the Middle Ages are said to have begun. You could measure it from the time of the birth of Christ until the nadir of Roman power after the sudden appearance of Islam.
Essentially, the period of time spanning from the decline of Roman culture in the West until the Renaissance reaches its full flower in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is so full of significance that it must be studied over the course of two semesters rather than one. So, Late Antiquity is here used to nicely divide these centuries into two parts. This first stretch of history begins, for the purposes of this blog, with the advent of Christianity and will end with the Muslim conquest of Spain in the early eighth century.
Essentially, the period of time spanning from the decline of Roman culture in the West until the Renaissance reaches its full flower in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is so full of significance that it must be studied over the course of two semesters rather than one. So, Late Antiquity is here used to nicely divide these centuries into two parts. This first stretch of history begins, for the purposes of this blog, with the advent of Christianity and will end with the Muslim conquest of Spain in the early eighth century.
Bad Emperors of the First Century
A Jewish Sect
Five Good Emperors
Rome Falls
Byzantium Continues
