"By virtue of its unbounded aggression, Roman imperialism was ultimately responsible for its own destruction".

I think most people when talking about the fall of the Roman Empire guess that it fell because of the Empire's own internal structure and decisions, which in a way, yes, but also no. And that's what I enjoyed about this book that it laid this argument out so clearly and fully in a way that was highly readable and entertaining.

Instead of the oft-repeated theory by Edward Gibbon that Rome fell because of the internal decision to switch to Christianity, Heather suggests that what ultimately did Rome in was the successive attacks by various "barbarian" groups in the late 4th-5th centuries and the declining ability of the Roman Empire to deal with these attacks because of their inherent internal deficiencies. The quote above appeared at the end of the book and ultimately does describe what happened to the Western Roman Empire but it was a much more complicated and drawn-out process than what Gibbon has said.

I also really enjoyed the comparisons that Heather would make of the Roman events he was discussing to more modern historical events so as to make the reader understand them more clearly - which I really appreciated. An example would be the comparison of the Roman's final act to save the Western Empire against the Vandals in 468 CE to the attack on the Spanish Armada by the English during the Elizabethan era.

Overall, a really great book and would definitely recommend if you want to know more about the later period of the Roman Empire!