Overview

On 24 August 410, the Visigothic troops led by their king Alaric captured the city of Rome, looting the city for three days. This was the first time the city was captured in 800 years, igniting a debate with religious overtones over the causes for the fall of the city. Whereas pagan authors seem to have held the spread of Christianity and the abandonment of traditional cults responsible, Christian writers refused to accept this responsibility and minimized the horrors of the sack. Whatever happened on these days remains uncertain. Even archaeologists, influenced by the accounts transmitted by literary sources, traditionally accepted the notion that the Sack of Rome was a catastrophic event, with serious impact on the city, its population and its physical structures. This book, the proceedings of a conference held at Rome in November 2010, provides a systematic re-evaluation of all the evidence available, both literary and archaeological. Starting with two chapters considering the theoretical and methodological issues involved in the analysis of historical events and their relationship with the archaeological record, the first section discusses the political and ideological context for the fall of Rome. The second part of the book, dedicated to the archaeology of the late antique city, shows that although there are a few examples of buildings destroyed or abandoned in the first half of the fifth century, none of these can be unequivocally linked to the destruction wreaked by the Goths. The archaeology of the city does not fit easily with the literary accounts of historical events. The third part of the book is dedicated to the analysis of different aspects of the history and archaeology of the period, trying to assess the impact of the actions of Alaric and his soldiers. Elements as different as the demography of the city, its suply of imported goods, burial practices, the epigraphy and the practice of dedicating statues are considered, showing that in most of the cases changes seem to have been the product of long-term trends, rather than responses to a specific events. The Sack of Rome is here, for the first time, analysed and discussed by scholars of different background and nationality.

Full Product Details

9783895009440

Table of Contents

Reviews

On 24 August 410 the city of Rome the Goths led by their king Alaric captured and looted the city of Rome for three days. This was the first conquest of Rome in 800 years, an event that shocked contemporaries and ignated a religious controversy between pagan and Christian writers. For generations of thinkers, the Sack of Rome became a symbol of the end of the Ancient World and of the triumph of barbarism. This book, based on a conference held at Rome in November 2010, offers a critical re-evaluation of all the evidence available, literary and archaeological. Scholars from different countries and different backgrounds discuss not only what happened during those days, but also its context as well as its impact.

On 24 August 410 the city of Rome the Goths led by their king Alaric captured and looted the city of Rome for three days. This was the first conquest of Rome in 800 years, an event that shocked contemporaries and ignated a religious controversy between pagan and Christian writers. For generations of thinkers, the Sack of Rome became a symbol of the end of the Ancient World and of the triumph of barbarism. This book, based on a conference held at Rome in November 2010, offers a critical re-evaluation of all the evidence available, literary and archaeological. Scholars from different countries and different backgrounds discuss not only what happened during those days, but also its context as well as its impact. Review - German Am 24. August des Jahres 410 n. Chr. drangen die Goten unter der Fuhrung ihres Konigs Alarich in Rom ein und sollen die Stadt drei Tage lang geplundert haben. Diese erste Eroberung Roms seit 800 Jahren loste eine anhaltende Debatte uber die Auswirkungen der Konversion des Kaisers zum Christentum aus. Wahrend die heidnische Seite diese Konversion fur die Zerstorung Roms durch die Goten verantwortlich machte, sahen die christlichen Schriftsteller keinen Zusammenhang und spielten den Schrecken der Plunderung herunter. Was in jenen Tagen tatsachlich geschah, ist unbekannt. Der vorliegende Tagungsband bietet erstmals eine kritische Synthese der fur die Zeit um 410 n. Chr. relevanten archaologischen Befunde Roms und bettet sie in einen breiten historischen Kontext. Dabei kommen Wissenschaftler verschiedenster Fachrichtungen und Nationen zu Wort.

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Countries Available