Fiddling while it burns

I didn't realize, not being in school for a couple of decades, that 'contemporary scholars' had decided that the Fall of Rome was "simply a peaceful blending of barbarians into Roman culture".
This new book maintains that the capture of Rome by the barbarians led to "a world of economic collapse, marauding barbarians, and the rise of a new religious orthodoxy".

The rise of a new religious orthodoxy after a barbarian occupation of civilization. Sound familiar?

Thanks to Samizdata for bringing it to my attention.