AD 410

AD 410:
The Year
That Shook Rome





Sam Moorhead and David Stuttard have written a book about the sack of Rome in AD 410. It was published by the British Museum Press in 2010.

** Sam Moorhead is National Finds Advisor for Iron Age and Roman coins in the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum

** David Stuttard has taught classics and published his own translations and adaptations of Greek tragedies, which he has directed in the UK and in classical theatres in Turkey and Albania

Their book begins with a brief presentation of the main characters: “Dramatis Personae.” The main text is divided into five acts. Here is an overview:

PROLOGUE  - Preface and Chapter 1: Rome, the eternal city

PART 1 - A HOUSE DIVIDED - Chapters 2-3

PART 2 - THE STORM CLOUDS GATHER - Chapters 4-6

PART 3 - THE SACK OF ROME - Chapters 7-10

EPILOGUE - Chapter 11 and Aftermath: Rome AD 410-575

At the end of the book there is a reference section where we find the following items:

• Who’s Who in AD 410
• Ancient sources
• Further reading
• Endnotes
• Timeline 753 BC-AD 711
• Maps
• Index
• Picture credits

The illustrations are numerous and in colour, but most of them are rather small. The reason is obvious: the book measures only 15 x 21 cm.

[Sam Moorhead specializes in coins. Perhaps this is why 13 illustrations show coins and why nine illustrations show medallions.]

This account is based on ancient sources and modern scholarship. Throughout the eleven chapters Moorhead and Stuttard quote extensively from ancient sources. This is a good idea, because it gives the reader a chance to learn what some of the ancient writers had to say about this or that person, about this or that topic.

As you can see from the table of contents, the authors do not only cover the main topic - the sack of Rome in AD 410 - they also tell us what happened before and after. In this way the dramatic event is placed in a historical context.

The character sketches in the beginning and at the end of the book are useful for the general reader, who is not a specialist in Roman history.

The authors provide a lot of information. It is quite an accomplishment to be able to present so much information in a book which has only 184 pages.

According to the publisher, this book “paints a vibrant and illuminating portrayal of ordinary individuals grappling with an extraordinary crisis at a defining moment in our history.”

I agree. The text is well written. The authors pay attention to the details as well as the grand picture. In fact, this book is great, but I have to mention a few cases which bother me:

(1) On page 52 (at the end of chapter 3) they describe the death of Constantine in AD 337 and then they end the chapter with following words:

“In Rome, the Senate, still predominantly pagan, passed a decree proclaiming Constantine a god. Fifty-seven years later, in 394, no such decree would follow the death of Theodosius.” 

But Theodosius died in 395, as stated in the chronology on page 176, so the number of years between the two events is 58.

(2) Most illustrations are relevant and well-chosen – but there is at least one exception: on page 59 the authors mention an event in 376 where some Gothic youths are sold as slaves. They provide a reference to the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (note 37), which is fine. But they also refer to illustration # 4.4 on the same page. This picture shows a detail of the Septimius Severus Arch in the Roman Forum. How can this arch, dedicated in 202, document something which happened in 376, almost two hundred years later?

(3) On page 167 (in the section about the ancient sources) they present Procopius and claim that his work History of the Wars was written “c.551-553.” This is not quite correct. As far as I know, books 1-4 were completed 548-549; books 5-7 were completed in 551; while book 8 was completed 553-554.

(4) On page 168 (in the same section) they claim that Synesius lived “c.373-c.414” and that he was born at Ptolemais in Cyrenaica (eastern Libya). At the end of the presentation they refer to a well-known website - Livius.org - which includes a section about Synesius. But the website gives the traditional dates for Synesius (ca. 370-ca. 413) and tells us that he was born in Cyrene, and that he died in Ptolemais, which is true. In other words: the authors recommend a website, but they do not quote it accurately.

[For more information about Synesius see James Carpenter Nicol, Synesius of Cyrene: His Life and Writings (1887, reprinted 2007). For a recent account see Jay Bregman, Synesius of Cyrene (1982).]

(5) The Altar of Victory is mentioned several times. When was it removed from the senate house in Rome? Page 160 (the brief biography of Symmachus) says it happened in AD 382, and the timeline on page 176 gives the same date. But the caption to illustration # 8.5 on page 113 claims it happened in 384-385. Why this discrepancy? Why do the authors not give the same date every time? This is most unfortunate.

[For more information about the Altar see Simon James, Rome & the Sword (2011), pp. 120 and 243.]

 

(6) “Further reading” (pp. 169-170) is divided into five sections. In the section about “The Later Roman Empire” I miss Kenneth G. Holum, Theodosian Empresses: Woman and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (hardcover 1982, paperback 1989).

In the section about “Constantine and Early Christianity” I miss Paul Stephenson, Constantine: Christian Victor, Unconquered Emperor (hardcover 2009, paperback 2011). Perhaps it was published to late to be included here?

In the section about “Barbarians and Early Medieval History” I miss Alan Cameron, Barbarians and Politics at the Court of Arcadius (1993).

Hagith Sivan, Galla Placidia: The Last Roman Empress was published in 2011, so Moorhead and Stuttard could not possibly have included it in their book, but I will mention it anyway, because it is highly relevant for the topic.

These flaws are minor and they are the exception. If I decide to forget about them, I can say that AD 410 is a great book about an important event, which deserves to be read by everyone who is interested in Roman history.

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Sam Moorhead & David Stuttard,
AD 410: The Year That Shook Rome,
British Museum Press (2010), 184 pages

 

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