In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on, and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. In The Shadow of the Sword, Tom Holland explores how this came about. Spanning Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, he tells a story vivid with drama, horror and startling achievement.
- ISBN10 1408700077
- ISBN13 9781408700075
- Publish Date 5 April 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 17 December 2012
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
- Imprint Little, Brown
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 544
- Language English