THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN CRISIS 248-260: When the Gods Abandoned Rome

This work covers the history of a dozen years of turmoil that begins with Rome's millennium celebrations of 248 CE and ends with the capture of the emperor Valerian by the Persians in 260. It was a period of almost unremitting disaster for Rome. This was a time of moral and spiritual crisis in which the traditional state religion suffered, paving the way for Christianity. Color photos with illus.