The Canon Library
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Enlightenment · History

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

by Edward Gibbon. A monumental narrative traces Rome’s transformation and collapse with irony, erudition, and a secular theory of historical change.

Date
1776–1789
Origin
England
Era
Enlightenment
Genre
History
Difficulty
Challenging
Length
Very long
Collection
The Western Canon

Subjects and themes

EmpireReligionInstitutional Decline

Why it matters

A monumental narrative traces Rome’s transformation and collapse with irony, erudition, and a secular theory of historical change.

This work is included in the collection on the basis of great books / harvard. Its cataloged influence level is 5 out of 5.

Related works

Book

The Histories

Polybius · Ancient · History / political thought

Reading lists featuring The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Reading path

Essential 100

A century of works that gives the broadest useful first view of the Western canon. 100 books · Advanced.