Edward GibÂbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire – It’s a major work of the EnlightÂenÂment, a book that shaped how we modÂerns write hisÂtoÂry (and, for that matÂter, how we aspire to write in the EngÂlish lanÂguage), and it’s now availÂable as a free podÂcast thanks to LibÂrivox. Or at least VolÂume 1 is. With a runÂtime of almost 20 hours, this audioÂbook — click to access indiÂvidÂual files or the full zip file — will make it so that you’re not lookÂing for the remainÂing volÂumes any time soon. But don’t worÂry they’re evenÂtuÂalÂly comÂing.
PubÂlished first in 1776, just as the US declared its indeÂpenÂdence from EngÂland, GibÂbon’s Decline and Fall looked to offer an empirÂiÂcal explaÂnaÂtion for why Ancient Rome fell as a powÂer, and he genÂerÂalÂly pointÂed to a decline in civic virtue among its citÂiÂzenÂry (why bothÂer fightÂing the Empire’s wars when you can get merÂceÂnarÂies to do it?) and to the rise of ChrisÂtianÂiÂty (why worÂry about Rome when a betÂter life, an eterÂnal afterÂlife, awaits you?).
In part, GibÂbon’s work has endured because it speaks to quesÂtions that modÂern powÂers have on their minds. What brings Empires down, and what (implicÂitÂly) allows them to endure? These quesÂtions have a cerÂtain amount of relÂeÂvance these days in an anxÂious US. And indeed GibÂbon’s name was immeÂdiÂateÂly invoked in a recent podÂcast that asked whether AmerÂiÂca, today’s empire, is on the brink. (Click to lisÂten.) The parÂalÂlels between GibÂbon’s Rome and the conÂtemÂpoÂrary UnitÂed States have also been directÂly explored by the proÂlifÂic, young HarÂvard hisÂtoÂriÂan, Niall FerÂguÂson. You may want to check out his OctoÂber 2006 piece in VanÂiÂty Fair, Empire Falls. And dependÂing on what you think, you can give time to his two books on Empire — the first (and betÂter) one focusÂes on the British Empire, and a secÂond one devotes itself to the US.
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