How did a remote desert people change the course of world history? In the seventh century AD, the Eastern Roman Empire collapsed-defeated by the rising power of Arabia. How did this happen? And why then? In this gripping new history, Nick Holmes offers a fresh view of the end of the Ancient World and the rise of Islam-it wasn't just religion and war that shaped history, but a hidden force also played a vital role-climate change. A mysterious climatic shift-the Late Antique Little Ice Age-devastated the Roman and Persian empires while Arabia thrived. The End of Antiquity brings together history, science, and religion to uncover the truth behind one of the most enigmatic centuries in history. It's the fifth book in Holmes' acclaimed series on the fall of the Roman Empire-and the most surprising yet. The series covers the history of the Roman Empire from its earliest days to the collapse of the western half of the empire in the fifth century and the transformation of the eastern half of the empire into Byzantium in the seventh century.