AD 410. The year that shook Rome.

AD 410. The year that shook Rome.

Moorhead, S., D. Stuttard.

Paperback.  184 pp. Richly illustrated. British Museum Press 2010.

AD 410, is a date suffused with symbolism, in the long history of the decline / fall / transformation of the western empire. In that year Rome itself was sacked by Alaric, the Gothic chieftain, and the shockwaves were felt right around the empire as attested by Augustine's City of God.
This hugely enjoyable narrative history traces the events which led to that debacle, largely avoiding the knotty scolarly debates, and instead concentrating on the politics, starting with Diocletian's reforms, and actually continuing to 423 and the death of Galla Placidia.
Well chosen colour illustrations of buildings and artefacts accompany the text throughout, which serves as a sure-footed taster of a fascinating, but undeniably complex period of history.