Disc 1. The greatness of Gibbon's Decline and fall -- The making of Gibbon the Historian -- The Empire at its beginning -- The theory and practice of history -- The Golden Age of the Antonines -- The hidden poison begins to work -- disc 2: Diocletian and the triumph of Constantine -- Enlightenment skepticism -- The rise of Christianity -- Constantine and Athanasius -- Julian and the return to Paganism -- disc 3: East and West divided -- Huns and vandals -- Theodoric and Justinian -- The breakup of the Empire -- The Byzantine Empire and Charlemagne -- The rise of Islam -- disc 4: The Byzantine Empire in the 10th century -- The Crusades -- Genghis Khan and Tamerlane -- The fall of Constantinople -- The end of Gibbon's work -- Decline and fall in moden perspective.