Book · 2017 · History
The Fate of Rome
Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire
- mentions
- 5
- people
- 2
- podcast
- 1
- episodes
- 2
- recommendation
- 1
There's an amazing book by Kyle Harper. It's called The Fate of Rome. He's a Roman historian. It's a history of three major plagues in the Roman period, two of which are really not even very well known.
The best things said about it
You have this graph in The Fate of Rome. You show human population over the last few thousand years. I assume that these two downspikes are both the bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, right?
Why people recommend it
The Fate of Rome by Kyle Harper is a historical study that examines how climate change and three major disease outbreaks impacted the Roman Empire. The book was featured on the Dwarkesh Podcast in August 2024 and April 2025. In the August 2024 episode, David Reich highlighted Harper's work as a remarkable history detailing recurrent disease and climate-related disruptions, specifically noting its focus on lesser-known plagues during the Roman period. Later, in April 2025, Dwarkesh Patel engaged with the author directly on the podcast, referencing specific data and arguments from the text. Patel mentioned a population graph in the book to inquire about downspikes related to Yersinia pestis and the bubonic plague. Patel also questioned Harper regarding the estimated mortality rates during the Black Death and praised the book's opening chapters for their detailed depiction of the Roman economy. Additionally, Reich referred back to the book to explain how the Plague of Justinian contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire and subsequent population shifts in Europe.
Every mention
David Reich There's an amazing book by Kyle Harper. It's called The Fate of Rome. He's a Roman historian. It's a histor… 2
“There's an amazing book by Kyle Harper. It's called The Fate of Rome. He's a Roman historian. It's a history of three major plagues in the Roman period, two of which are really not even very well known.”
“Kyle Harper's book talks about this. The Plague of Justinian, the final one that killed off the empire, was also Yersinia pestis.”
Dwarkesh Patel You have this graph in The Fate of Rome. You show human population over the last few thousand years. I assu… 3
“You have this graph in The Fate of Rome. You show human population over the last few thousand years. I assume that these two downspikes are both the bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, right?”
“I think you discuss in the book the possibility that the death rate might have been close to or even over 60% wherever the Black Death hit.”
“I found your early chapters in the book about what the Roman economy was like in this happy period quite interesting. There's a bunch of questions I have about this.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with Kyle Harper, who is a professor and provost emeritus at the University of Oklahoma, and the author of some really interesting books: The Fate of Rome, Plagues Upon the Earth, Slavery in the Late Roman World”
“Just to plug one more time, we've been discussing Plagues Upon the Earth, which is the history of disease going back through the Neolithic to modern times, Fate of Rome which discusses the plagues and history of the Roman Empire considering climate and biology.”