The exciting Eastern Roman Empire and its relation to the Persians and Arabs--ironically enough, quite relevant today to the modern (American) empire as well--is the subject matter of two shorter papers. My grad thesis is a little longer, but well worth the read for anyone interested in why we write with a notion of final end in mind.

The papers

GOING SOMEWHERE: The Pervasiveness of Teleology in History and the 18th Century Great Experiment to Eliminate It (05/00)

PERSIA AND THE LATE ROMAN EMPIRE [284-651]: Balance of Power and Spheres of Influence Stability in Asia Minor (02/00)

ARABIC CONFLUENCE FROM CONSTANTINE TO HERACLIUS: The Preparation for a 7th Century Religio-Racial Explosion (11/99)