Gibbon Sees Friars Singing in Jupiter's Temple: Decline and Fall Is Conceived
Edward Gibbon watched friars sing vespers in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome and decided to write the history of how this happened—how marble empires became monk songs. He spent the next 23 years writing The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, six volumes tracing Rome's collapse from the second century to the fall of Constantinople. He blamed Christianity. The Church banned it. It's never been out of print.
October 15, 1764
262 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 15
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Boson devient roi de Bourgogne.
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Henri Ier est reconnu duc de Normandie.
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