Professor Peter Heather

And actually, he's not wrong because when his group is eventually settled in 416 to 418, when it finally does a deal, it's not Alaric anymore. He's dead by now. But the deal that's done is very similar to Alaric's minimum offer, not his maximum offer. So no generalship, no payments in gold that we know about, land well away from the Italian political heartland, i.e.

southwestern Gaul, and occasional military service.

southwestern Gaul, and occasional military service.

southwestern Gaul, and occasional military service.

It's a huge symbolic moment. Rome is a cultural capital. There's a huge scholarly argument about whether emperors visited Rome on three or four occasions for a month in the first century, i.e. they never went there.

It's a huge symbolic moment. Rome is a cultural capital. There's a huge scholarly argument about whether emperors visited Rome on three or four occasions for a month in the first century, i.e. they never went there.

It's a huge symbolic moment. Rome is a cultural capital. There's a huge scholarly argument about whether emperors visited Rome on three or four occasions for a month in the first century, i.e. they never went there.

Yeah, that's right. It's important for its universities. It's important for its cult sites, for its history, but it's not where the empire is run from. My favorite put down is from an Eastern orator who refers to it as a sacred precinct far from the highway. He talks about it in the 350s. So politically, it's not that big a deal, but culturally it is, psychologically too.

Yeah, that's right. It's important for its universities. It's important for its cult sites, for its history, but it's not where the empire is run from. My favorite put down is from an Eastern orator who refers to it as a sacred precinct far from the highway. He talks about it in the 350s. So politically, it's not that big a deal, but culturally it is, psychologically too.

Yeah, that's right. It's important for its universities. It's important for its cult sites, for its history, but it's not where the empire is run from. My favorite put down is from an Eastern orator who refers to it as a sacred precinct far from the highway. He talks about it in the 350s. So politically, it's not that big a deal, but culturally it is, psychologically too.

People fight about it, but it's certainly one of the major stimuli which will set Augustine of Hippo in the city of God, putting forward the argument that actually there isn't a special relationship between the divinity and the Roman state. There's a temporary one, and that's only contingent, and the divinity might withdraw his support from that state at any point.

People fight about it, but it's certainly one of the major stimuli which will set Augustine of Hippo in the city of God, putting forward the argument that actually there isn't a special relationship between the divinity and the Roman state. There's a temporary one, and that's only contingent, and the divinity might withdraw his support from that state at any point.

People fight about it, but it's certainly one of the major stimuli which will set Augustine of Hippo in the city of God, putting forward the argument that actually there isn't a special relationship between the divinity and the Roman state. There's a temporary one, and that's only contingent, and the divinity might withdraw his support from that state at any point.

We really don't know quite how devastating it was. The Goths are Christian, and all our commentators are Christian, and they all share the view that it has to be God's will. So according to Augustine and friends, it's the most civilized sack there's ever been. Virgins are led off to the churches and are safe, and the Goths, who knows?

We really don't know quite how devastating it was. The Goths are Christian, and all our commentators are Christian, and they all share the view that it has to be God's will. So according to Augustine and friends, it's the most civilized sack there's ever been. Virgins are led off to the churches and are safe, and the Goths, who knows?

We really don't know quite how devastating it was. The Goths are Christian, and all our commentators are Christian, and they all share the view that it has to be God's will. So according to Augustine and friends, it's the most civilized sack there's ever been. Virgins are led off to the churches and are safe, and the Goths, who knows?

It doesn't look like it is the wreck of some of those early modern sacks, or indeed the Vandal sack in 457. But there are treasures, and there are burn layers that you find occasionally, so I don't think it was a piece of cake either. Alaric is forced into sacking. He doesn't want to, but he's kept his forces outside the city. They expect a return. They want all this stuff.

It doesn't look like it is the wreck of some of those early modern sacks, or indeed the Vandal sack in 457. But there are treasures, and there are burn layers that you find occasionally, so I don't think it was a piece of cake either. Alaric is forced into sacking. He doesn't want to, but he's kept his forces outside the city. They expect a return. They want all this stuff.

It doesn't look like it is the wreck of some of those early modern sacks, or indeed the Vandal sack in 457. But there are treasures, and there are burn layers that you find occasionally, so I don't think it was a piece of cake either. Alaric is forced into sacking. He doesn't want to, but he's kept his forces outside the city. They expect a return. They want all this stuff.

So I think it's a slightly controlled process and not a total devastation of the city. We have plenty of archaeological and literary sources which suggest that the city is not a burnt and devastated landscape.