An excellent study of the social and cultural changes that explains how and why the world of Late Antiquity, between 150 AD and 750 AD, began to differ from the "Classical civilization." The first century AD was a time of world-changing events: the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of Christianity in Western Europe, and the disappearance of Persia from the Near East. A time in which the most entrenched of ancient institutional structures disappeared once and for all, creating divergent legacies that are present to this day. The esteemed historian Peter Brown examines these changes and their reactions, highlighting the era of Late Antiquity as a period of remarkable new beginnings and long-term impacts. The result is a clear answer to a critical issue of world history: how the highly homogeneous Mediterranean world of the first century AD transformed into three interrelated societies of the Middle Ages: Catholic Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic world. Brown's remarkable study of social and cultural transformation explains how and why the world of Late Antiquity differs from the "Classical civilization" of the Greeks and Romans. Featuring a new preface and updated with colorful illustrations throughout, "The World of Late Antiquity" proves that we still have much to learn from this enduring and fascinating period of history.