Bryan Ward-Perkins - World Literary Awards

Profile

Gender: Male
Born: Rome
Nationality: United Kingdom
Languages: English, Italian
Residence History: Rome, Italy → Oxford, United Kingdom

Career

Occupations: Archaeologist, Historian, Professor
Active Years: 1980-2024
Affiliations: Trinity College, Oxford
Memberships: Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS), Emeritus Fellow, Trinity College, Oxford, Professor of Late Antique History

Education

Institution	Faculty	Department	Degree	Period	Country
Magdalen College, Oxford	—	History	DPhil	—	United Kingdom

Magdalen College, Oxford

History

Degree: DPhil

Year of Graduation: 1980

Country: United Kingdom

Doctoral thesis: Urban public building in Italy, north of Salerno 300–850 AD

Awards

Year	Award	Work	Category	Organization	Result
2006	Hessell-Tiltman Prize	The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization	—	English PEN	Winner

Hessell-Tiltman Prize

2006

Work: The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization

Organization: English PEN

Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 1 appearances

Edition 5 (2006) Winner

Works

Major Works

From Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages: urban public building in Northern and Central Italy AD 300–850

1984 Archaeology/History

A study of urban public buildings in northern and central Italy from late Roman to early medieval times.

Urban historyLate Roman architecture

The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization

2005 History

Argues using archaeological evidence that the fall of the Western Roman Empire led to a real end of civilization.

Fall of RomeLate AntiquityEconomic history

The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. XIV: 425–600

2001 History

Edited with Averil Cameron and Michael Whitby, covering late Roman Empire from 425-600.

Late Roman Empire

The Last Statues of Antiquity

2016 Archaeology

Edited with R.R.R. Smith on the last statues of antiquity.

Ancient sculpture

Bibliography

From Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages: urban public building in Northern and Central Italy AD 300–850 (1984)
The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. XIV: 425–600 (2001, co-edited)
The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization (2005)
The Last Statues of Antiquity (2016, co-edited)

Style & Themes

Literary Style: Archaeology-based analysisTraditional historical narrative
Recurring Motifs: Fall of the Roman EmpireLate Antiquity transitionMediterranean economy

Legacy

Renowned archaeologist and historian of Late Antiquity and early Middle Ages, emphasizing the catastrophic fall of Rome using archaeological evidence. Emeritus fellow at Oxford.

Academic Societies

Royal Historical Society

Trivia

Born and raised in Rome, speaking Italian from childhood.
Son of architectural historian John Bryan Ward-Perkins.
His 2005 book defended the traditional catastrophic view of Rome's fall, sparking debate.