Course: The Fall and Decline of Rome
Lecture 2
The Beginning of the
End: A Tale of Two
Traumas
Two Catostrophic events in the Period
Before the Fall of Rome
by:
Dr. M. (Martijn) Icks
Spoiler Alerts: Main contents of today’s lecture
Primary sources on the two big events we will discuss today:
Battle of Adrianople (378). During this battle the roman armies suffered the biggest
defeat in 400 years. Scholars say that loosing this battle was the first sign of the decline
of the Roman Empire.
Sack of Rome by the Visigoths (410). Then, around 40 years later, under the reign of
Honorius, the Romans suffer another big defeat: the famous sack of Rome by the
Visigoths in 410. It is not the end of the Roman Empire, but it is a big defeat, and the
beginning of the end.
HC2
, What are the
Primary Sources on Late Antiquity
Historiography = written history
Primary Sources = Martijn Ick also uses the term ‘primary sources’ during
this course maybe slightly more loosely than some other scholars. Martijn
means with primary sources both sources written by eyewitnesses AND
sources written by people that maybe weren’t direct eyewitnesses BUT did
live in the same time-period of the discussed event/object/person/etc.
Main Primary Historiographic Sources :
• Pagan historiography. e.g. Ammianus Marcellinus, was a pagan, Zosimus
• Christian historiography = comes up in late antiquity. e.g. Orosius, Jordanes
Question: in what way is Christian historiography different from pagan?
Answer: For Christians, events of history are Gods plans unfolding.
• Ecclesiastical history = Church history (e.g. Eusebius and Sozomen)
• Chronicles = chronicles is a way of telling history with bulletpoints, year by year. (e.g. Jerome, Hydatius)
Other Types Primary Sources:
• Panegyric sources (= praising texts, praising someone, speech of praise about some emperor,
about a general or other powerful person) (e.g. by Themistius, Claudian)
• Hagiography (e.g. Vita Melaniae): the lives of saints, such as, ‘the life of Saint Melaniae.’
• Correspondence (e.g. Symmachus, Agustine)
• Sermons (e.g. John Chrysostom)
• Law texts (e.g. codex Theodosianus) (e.g: trousers were forbidden, because trousers were
worn by barbarians, so proper Romans should wear toga’s, but that laws like this existed tells us
that apparently people wore trousers. So this also tells us about history)
Useful tool to find good primary sources: Loeb Classical Library (available through UvA library Catalogue)
HC2
Lecture 2
The Beginning of the
End: A Tale of Two
Traumas
Two Catostrophic events in the Period
Before the Fall of Rome
by:
Dr. M. (Martijn) Icks
Spoiler Alerts: Main contents of today’s lecture
Primary sources on the two big events we will discuss today:
Battle of Adrianople (378). During this battle the roman armies suffered the biggest
defeat in 400 years. Scholars say that loosing this battle was the first sign of the decline
of the Roman Empire.
Sack of Rome by the Visigoths (410). Then, around 40 years later, under the reign of
Honorius, the Romans suffer another big defeat: the famous sack of Rome by the
Visigoths in 410. It is not the end of the Roman Empire, but it is a big defeat, and the
beginning of the end.
HC2
, What are the
Primary Sources on Late Antiquity
Historiography = written history
Primary Sources = Martijn Ick also uses the term ‘primary sources’ during
this course maybe slightly more loosely than some other scholars. Martijn
means with primary sources both sources written by eyewitnesses AND
sources written by people that maybe weren’t direct eyewitnesses BUT did
live in the same time-period of the discussed event/object/person/etc.
Main Primary Historiographic Sources :
• Pagan historiography. e.g. Ammianus Marcellinus, was a pagan, Zosimus
• Christian historiography = comes up in late antiquity. e.g. Orosius, Jordanes
Question: in what way is Christian historiography different from pagan?
Answer: For Christians, events of history are Gods plans unfolding.
• Ecclesiastical history = Church history (e.g. Eusebius and Sozomen)
• Chronicles = chronicles is a way of telling history with bulletpoints, year by year. (e.g. Jerome, Hydatius)
Other Types Primary Sources:
• Panegyric sources (= praising texts, praising someone, speech of praise about some emperor,
about a general or other powerful person) (e.g. by Themistius, Claudian)
• Hagiography (e.g. Vita Melaniae): the lives of saints, such as, ‘the life of Saint Melaniae.’
• Correspondence (e.g. Symmachus, Agustine)
• Sermons (e.g. John Chrysostom)
• Law texts (e.g. codex Theodosianus) (e.g: trousers were forbidden, because trousers were
worn by barbarians, so proper Romans should wear toga’s, but that laws like this existed tells us
that apparently people wore trousers. So this also tells us about history)
Useful tool to find good primary sources: Loeb Classical Library (available through UvA library Catalogue)
HC2
