Editorial Review:

The Emperor Justinian reunified Rome's fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals who had separated Italy, Spain, and North Africa from imperial rule. At his capital in Constantinople, he built the world's most beautiful building, married its most powerful empress, and wrote its most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome's fortunes for the next five hundred years. Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed five thousand people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Wide historical coverage of areas not normally covered well:

This book contains wonderful coverage of history that most authors gloss over. I enjoyed Mr. Rosen's balance of appreciation for the logical application of science of the day against his social interpretation which gave so much life to the crafted historical narrative.
Maybe it's just because I live in Texas, but I'll bet if you were to ask 1000 random people to describe what happened in the transition between late antiquity and the start of the middle ages, maybe two of them would be able to give a... more info

`Plague, Empire and the Birth of Europe':

It took me a while to get into the rhythm of Mr Rosen's writing, but once I did I couldn't put this book down. I was fascinated by the building of the Hagia Sophia, interested in the presentation of the life, times and achievements of the emperor Justinian during the 6th century and engrossed by the possible impact of the flea on the building of empires.
In this book, Mr Rosen provides a number of interpretations which can (and are) debated. People may argue about the role of Justinian, disagree about... more info

Science and Swordplay:

William Rosen's "Justinian's Flea" is an ambitious attempt to explain the decline of the Byzantine and the Persian Empire and the rise of Islam and the germination of nation states in Europe. Rosen's culprit: the bubonic plague carried by the flea on the backs of black rats. Rosen weaves multiple narratives to explain the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of Justinian and the Byzantine Empire, the beginning of what would be the country of France, the fall of the Persians and the rise of... more info

avoid like the plague:

Avoid this book like the plague. I am an avid reader of history and found this book one of the most poorly written history books that I have had the misfortune ever to read. The writer redefines the term pedantic. Historical premises are often followed by a minimum of three pages of material unrelated to the central point. By the time the reader comes back to anything remotely resembling the author's thesis the central point is nearly forgotten.Discussion of the book's central theme does not even occur... more info

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