How Rome Fell

574 Pages·2010·4.19 MB·English

by  Adrian Goldsworthy

HOW ROME FELL
HOW ROME
FELL
Death of a Superpower
Adrian Goldsworthy
Contents
List of Maps Vii
List of Illustrations ix Preface I
Introduction - The Big Question 11
PART ONE - Crisis? The Third Century 27
I The Kingdom of Gold 29
2 The Secret of Empire 53
3 Imperial Women 70
4 King of Kings 86
5 Barbarians 103
6 The Queen and the `Necessary' Emperor 123
7 Crisis 138
PART TWO - Recovery? The Fourth Century 155
8 The Four - Diocletian and the Tetrarchy 157
9 The Christian 174
io Rivals 194
ii Enemies 205
12 The Pagan 223
13 Goths 245
14 East and West 264
PART THREE - Fall? The Fifth and Sixth Centuries 283
15 Barbarians and Romans: Generals and Rebels 285
16 The Sister and the Eternal City 299
17 The Hun 314
18 Sunset on an Outpost of Empire 335
19 Emperors, Kings and Warlords 353
20 West and East 370
21 Rise and Fall 388
Conclusion - A Simple Answer 405
Epilogue - An Even Simpler Moral 416
Chronology 425
Glossary 441
Bibliography 449
Notes 467
Index 511
List of Maps
i. The Roman Empire in the late second century AD 30
z. The Eastern frontier 9o
3. The Third Century Crisis 112
4. The fourth century Empire 166
5. Julian's Persian Expedition 231
6. The empire of Valentinian and Valens 239
7. The Gothic War 2,56
8. Alaric's movements including the sack of Rome 297
9. The initial barbarian invasions in the fifth century 308
io. The Balkan frontier 321
ii. The Saxon Shore forts 342
12. The Barbarian kingdoms in Gaul 357
13. Europe and North Africa in the early sixth century 371
14. Justinian's Empire showing the western conquests 395
Charts:
i. Family tree of Septimius Severus 72
2. Simplified family tree of the house of Constantine 19o
3. Simplified family tree of the houses of Valentinian and Theodosius 265
4. Civil administration of provinces in the late fourth century 268
5. Central imperial bureaueracy and court 269
6. The command structure of the Roman Army in the Notitia Dignitatum 287
List of Illustrations
Bust of Marcus Aurelius (AKG Images/Erich Lessing) Bust of Septimius
Severus (AKG Images/Erich Lessing) Bust of Caracalla (Ferens Art Gallery,
Hull City Museums and Art Galleries/The Bridgeman Art Library)
Statue of the Tetrarchs, Venice (AKG Images/Jean-Paul Dumontier)
Amphitheatre at Dougga in Tunisia (Ancient Art and Architecture Collection)
Regina tombstone (Ancient Art and Architecture Collection) Relief of Roman
soldiers from Trajan's Column (Author's collection) Relief of Roman emperor
kneeling before Shapur (Ancient Art and Architecture Collection)
Collapsed wall at Dura Europos (Dr Simon James) Wall painting from Dura
Europos (Dr Simon James) Palmyrene gods (AKG Images/Erich Lessing)
Hadrian's Wall (Author's collection)
Fort at Qasr Bashir (Sonia Halliday Photographs) Roman walls at Porchester
castle (Author's collection) Senate House and Arch of Septimius Severus
(Author's collection) Aurelian walls, Rome (AKG Images)
Constantine coin (Bridgeman Art Library)
Julian the Apostate (AKG Images)
Detail from Arch of Constantine (Author's collection) Adamklissi Metope:
Barbarians on the move (Author's collection) Roman gateway at Trier (AKG
Images/Hilbich)
Mosaic from Piazza Armerina, Sicily (AKG Images/Erich Lessing) Relief from
obelisk base Hippodrome, Constantinople (Chris Hellier/ Corbis)
Emperor Honorius (W&N Archive)
Flavius Stilicho (W&N Archive)
Page from the Notitia Dignitatum (Bodleian Library) Skull from Hunnic grave
(AKG Images)
Mausoleum at Ravenna (The Art Archive/Gianni Dagli Orti)
Coin of Justinian (Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge/ Bridgeman
Art Library)
The walls of Constantinople (Bridgeman Art Library) Hagia Sophia (AKG
Images/Erich Lessing)
Mosaic of Justinian from Ravenna (AKG Images/Erich Lessing) The aqueduct at
Segovia (Author's collection)