4/12/2012

1

The Fall of Rome?

Crisis and Recovery of 3rd Century Civil War (238-53 CE)

Invasions (267-9 CE) – Carpians and Vandals (Rhine)

– Goths and Alamanni (Danube) • Athens sacked

• Battle of Nessus (268)

• Battle of Naissus (270)

– Sassanids (East)

Empire splits

• Gallic Empire (259-73 CE)

• Palmyrene Empire (267-74 CE) – Finally reunited by Aurelian

Aurelian (270-5 CE)

• builds walls around Rome

Diocletian (284-305 CE)

• Tetrarchy (293 CE)

• Revolt in Britain

• Persian Invasion

• Military and Financial reforms

Constantine (307-37 CE)

• founds Constantinople

• moves seat of govt.

258 CE

Gallic Empire

• Britannia

• Gallia

• Hispania

Aegyptus

Syria

Palestine

Palmyrene Empire

260 CE

Milan

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2

debasement of Roman Coinage

Eight-fold rise in prices from 267-274

• Right-hand man (dux) of Gallienus – helped defeat the Alamanni – cavalry defeated Goths at Naissus

• participated in the assassination of Gallienus – Supported Claudius II to throne – brother was declared Emperor by Senate – legions refused him and chose Aurelian instead

• Reunified the Empire – Palmyra (272/3) – Gallic Empire (274)

• Built walls around Rome • Revalued the coinage

Emperor Aurelian (270-5 CE)

4/12/2012

3

Porta Appia (San Sabastiano) 6.5 meters high 3.5 meters thick square tower every 30 meters

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4

Reforms of Diocletian (284-305)

• divides empire into four administrative districts – Tetrarchy

• Strengthens Roman military – discipline in

army

• persecutes Christians

The Four Tetrarchs

• Porphyry marble (Egypt)

– ca. 300 CE

– St. Marks Cathedral, Venice

• previously on top of a column in Constantinople

– paludamentum (cloak)

– military belt

• shift in artistic style seen in Late Antique Period

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5

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883)

Flavius Valerius Constantinus Constantine the Great (306-337)

Battle of Milvian Bridge Oct. 312 “In hoc signus vincus”

Constantine Reunites the Empire Religious Reform 313 Edict of Milan • officially marks end of persecution • restoration of Church properties 325 Council of Nicaea Political and Economic Reform • Unifies Empire 324-330 Relocates Capital to Byzantium Military Reform • Uses Tetrarchy prefectures for military command • Creates magister peditum and magister equitum

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6

Constantine relocates the Capital of Empire

330 CE Constantine moves capital of Roman Empire to Byzantium and renames it Constantinople

• builds a massive fortification structure

408 CE Theodosius II builds more elaborate defensive system

1453 CE Suleiman I “the Magnificent” builds cannons specifically to batter gates and sacks Constantinople

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7

Fortification system of Constantinople designed and built by Theodosius II (408 CE)

Gothic Armies

• migrated to Danube region

• Divided into West (Visi) and East (Ostro) branches

– most powerful of tribes

• tribal leadership based on aristocratic structure

– comites and dux w/a 100 years of fighting for the Romans

– 15,000 warriors

• spatha sword and fransica battle-ax

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8

Battle of Adrianople 378 CE

372 CE Western Goths having settled south of Danube (Bulgaria) go to Constantinople to ask for permission to settle.

• They are paid off every year, but then a change in “barbarian” policy

378 CE Emperor Valens assembles an army and is defeated at Adrianople – New Emperor Theodosius pays them to relocate and

police Noricum in Western half of Empire (foedus)

401 CE They ask Ravenna for payoff 401-2 first invasion turned back by Stilicho

410 ALARIC SACKS ROME

Visigoths Move Towards Italy

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9

The Fall of Rome ?

Germanic Kingdoms (West)

Byzantine Empire East