Peter Brown discusses his book "Journeys of the Mind," a personal account of his discovery of late antiquity, with fellow historian Jack Tannous.
The end of the ancient world was long regarded by historians as a time of decadence, decline and fall. In his career-long engagement with this era, the widely acclaimed and path-breaking historian Peter Brown has shown, however, that the “neglected half-millennium” now known as late antiquity was in fact crucial to the development of modern Europe and the Middle East. In "Journeys of the Mind," Brown recounts his life and work, describing his efforts to recapture the spirit of an age.
Peter Brown, professor emeritus of history at Princeton University, is credited with having created the field of study referred to as late antiquity He is the author of "Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350–550 AD"; "The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity, A.D. 200–1000" and many other books. He has been the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Mellon Foundation’s Distinguished Achievement Award and the Kluge Prize of the Library of Congress.
Jack Tannous is professor of history and Hellenic studies and chair of the Center for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University and the author of "The Making of the Medieval Middle East: Religion, Society, and Simple Believers."
Presented in partnership with Labyrinth Books and co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Humanities Council and Classics and History departments.
Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
