Prof. Sage (Emeritus Cincinnati) tackles one of the most difficult periods in Roman history, the “Crisis of the Third Century.” This fifty-year period (c. A.D. 235-285) was characterized by chaos, invasion, plague, rebellion, civil war, usurpation, military disaster, economic disruption, and more, during which two dozen men secured the purple, and easily as many more tried for it, leaving the Empire on the edge of dissolution, before a surprisingly quick recovery.

Sage wisely opens with a discussion of the sources, as this period is the least well-documented in the history of the Roman Empire, examining not only the sparse literary evidence, much of it unreliable, but also the archaeological evidence, human and animal remains, tree rings, dendrochronology, ice core sampling, and more.

He then addresses several developments contributing to the collapse which were beyond the control of the Romans. These were the rise of large tribal confederacies among the Germanic “Barbarians,” the replacement of the Parthian empire in the East by the more centralized and efficient Sassanids, and, less obvious but perhaps most important, environmental trends, including plagues (which began appearing much earlier), and climate change, matters dealt with in greater detail by Kyle Harpe in The Fate of Rome (2017).

This is an excellent read. Sage skillfully discusses the rise and fall of the many men who claimed the purple, few of whom were able to cope with the disasters besetting the Empire. He frequently surprises the reader by some favorable comment about emperors usually reviled, and some negative ones about otherwise admired men. Surprisingly, however, despite the recent trend to view Gallienus more favorably than hitherto has been the case, crediting him with major reforms of the army while coping with multiple invasions and usurpations, Sage considers the man inept, despite his ability to remain in power for some 15 years.

Nevertheless, Rome in the Third Century is an important read for anyone with an interest in the Roman Empire.

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Note: Rome in the Third Century is also available in e-editions.

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