There is a great recent book on the Roman Empire's unique role in European history and why no other power in the region could matching it after "the fall" was,

There is a great recent book on the Roman Empire's unique role in European history and why no other power in the region could matching it after "the fall" was, eventually, something that worked out in Europe's favour. It's called: "Escape from Rome: The Failure of Empire and the Road to Prosperity" https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691172187/escape-from-rome https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691172187/es...