The Roman Empire Divided

John Moorhead's The Roman Empire Divided: 400 - 700 describes the aftermath of the collapse of the western Roman Empire. It discusses what happened in each region of the fragmented empire: Italy, northern Africa, Spain, France, England, the Balkans, and the Middle East. The transition wasn't as abrupt as I had pictured it, because of the chaos of the late Roman Empire, Roman influences on surrounding people, and the emergence of governments to replace the Romans. I learned a lot about the impact of the Germans, Slavs, Byzantium (who recaptured part of the western empire), and Muslims. Portions of the book were compelling, while at other times Moorhead dwelled on less interesting details. Still, it probably does a better job than any other book at presenting an overview of that eta.