AD 410: The Year That Shook Rome

by Sam Moorhead, David Stuttard

On a sweltering August night in the year A.D. 410, the unthinkable happened. The Goths swarmed into Rome and sacked the city—not just any city, but the Eternal City, unbreached for eight hundred years. The calamity shook the empire to its core. Ever since, historians have struggled to fathom the reason why Rome fell but few have told the tale of exactly what transpired. The year 2010 marks 1600 years since the fall and this compelling new chronicle is being published to coincide with the anniversary. Brought vividly to life by evocative storytelling, AD410 explores the chain of events that culminated in the collapse of the empire. Interwoven with contemporary histories, letters, and testimonies—many newly translated for the book—this epic tale of imperial folly and court intrigue, honor and duplicity, and heroism and cowardice, paints an illuminating portrait of ordinary individuals grappling with an extraordinary crisis at a defining moment in history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

184 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sean McLachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The British Museum Press is famous for producing clear, well-illustrated books about archaeological subjects, and this volume is no exception. It focuses on Alaric the Visigoth's sacking of Rome in 410 AD, a momentous event that signaled the imminent collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

The authors go into detail about the politics that led to the sacking, especially Rome's mismanagement of the Visigoths. This Germanic tribe was fleeing the Huns from the east, and wanted only some land and food, offering loyalty and military help in return. The Romans in their arrogance spurned the Visigoths' offer and instead starved and massacred them. Alaric comes off as forgiving to a fault in this narrative and the Romans missed several opportunities to make good.

The book follows several other stories as well, including the clash between paganism and an emergent Christianity, rebellions in Africa and Britain, and relations with the Eastern Roman Empire, later to be called Byzantium.

Long quotes from several contemporary writers liven up the text, and there's a helpful Who's Who and annotated bibliography in the back. While any serious student of Late Antiquity will find little that is new, the educated lay reader for whom this book is targeted will find this an enjoyable, somewhat complex, and enlightening read.

[JoeBee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re curious about how history might repeat itself and the internal and external factors that can topple a “nation”, then this book gives tremendous reasons. Some names are sometimes hard to follow, but there are excellent character legends both in the front pages and a more extended bio in the epilogue.

[Jeroen Van de Crommenacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little piece of history. It does as expected, reads surprisingly well and overall quite enjoyable.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of the last years of Rome, highly readable.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable account of the last years of Rome's place as the center of the world. Great use of primary sources.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of research done for this book, so w lot of information! Well put together and I think interesting!

[Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice survey of the events leading up to the fall of Rome; good treatment of the complicated relationship between the Romans and the Goths and other barbarians. It does an excellent job of showing the mixed ambitions, motives and circumstances that led to Alaric's taking Rome in 410. Detailed enough to hold one's interest; superficial where more complexity would make an already complicated story baffling. (Though there are a few places where the authors need to remind us who is who--the dramatis personae is very extensive!)