Alexander Demandt's well-researched and brilliantly written account is, for many reasons, a long-awaited comprehensive presentation of Late Antiquity based on primary sources. In this work, Alexander Demandt presents the history of events and politics during Late Antiquity, starting with the crisis of the Roman Empire under the soldier emperors (235 - 284) and describing developments up to the end of Justinian's reign (565). He explains the internal conditions of the Empire - state, society, economy, education, cities, religion - and sheds light on the historiography of Late Antiquity. A comprehensive appendix includes, among other things, lists of rulers and family trees, as well as a detailed timeline. For this complete revision, current research literature has been reviewed, evaluated, and incorporated, particularly concerning new findings.