His influential book La fine del mondo antico (1959) examined the death of Rome as a result of decadence.
[2] The book was widely read among non-specialists as well and has been translated into several languages.
Mazzarino's primary historical contributions covered subjects such as the 4th-century economy, classical historiography, and various aspects of the Roman Empire.
As a Marxist, he blamed the same decadence for the woes of the modern world.
As of 2007, his main and fundamental works are being newly issued by Bollati Boringhieri, a renowned Italian scientific publisher in Turin.