The Fall of Rome: The Full Documentary (Marcus Aurelius to Medieval Europe)
From The Jeremy Ryan Slate Show · 08:34:25
Show by Jeremy Ryan Slate
In September of 476 AD, a Germanic general named Odoacer removed the teenage emperor Romulus Augustulus in Ravenna and sent the imperial regalia to Constantinople, and very few people alive that year seem to have treated it as the end of anything. This documentary follows the whole fall of the Roman Empire across more than three centuries, from Marcus Aurelius and the Antonine Plague to the kingdoms of medieval Europe that grew up in Rome's place. It starts with the last of the good emperors and the murder of Severus Alexander in 235, then the Crisis of the Third Century, when armies made and killed emperors, the silver disappeared from the coin, and the empire split into three in 260. Postumus held Gaul, Britain and Spain for most of a decade, and ordinary Romans learned to get by behind new walls. Diocletian rebuilt the state as something closer to an army, and Constantine gave it a new capital, a gold coin that held its value for seven hundred years, and a new faith. From there the West comes apart a piece at a time: Julian's attempt to bring back the old gods, the disaster at Adrianople in 378, the settlement Theodosius made with the Goths, Stilicho's execution in 408, and Alaric's sack of Rome two years later. After 476 come Theoderic ruling Italy as a Roman, Justinian's war to take it back, the collapse of Roman Britain, and the Church that carried Rome's language and law into the medieval world. Along the way you'll hear from historian Dr. Colin Elliott of Indiana University, author of Pox Romana, and ancient coin dealer Dean Kinzer of Kinzer Coins, from conversations recorded on the channel earlier this year. This is the Fall of the Roman Empire series recut into a single film, because you asked for it in the community poll. The sources for these centuries are thin, late and often contradictory, especially for the third century, so I tell you where they disagree and I'd encourage you to read them yourself. THE FULL EPISODES:Every chapter is its own episode in the Fall of the Roman Empire playlist on the channel. COMING IN DECEMBER: The Fall of the Roman Republic, the full documentary. The Money, Borders, Power framework primer is episode 115. GUESTSDr. Colin Elliott, Indiana University. Book: Pox Romana: The Plague That Shook the Roman World (Princeton, 2024). Podcast: Pax Romana Podcast. YouTube and X: @ProfCPEDean Kinzer, Kinzer Coins: kinzercoins.com and startancients.com CHAPTERS0:00 Odoacer and the emperor nobody replaced1:19 Introduction2:54 Marcus Aurelius and the Antonine Plague30:47 Severus Alexander and the murder of 23540:14 The Crisis of the Third Century1:02:04 260 AD: the empire splits in three1:13:49 Postumus and the Gallic Empire1:48:21 Daily life during the crisis2:33:44 Diocletian rebuilds the state3:01:41 Constantine the Great3:14:43 Julian the Apostate3:40:44 The Battle of Adrianople, 3783:58:22 Theodosius and the Goths4:23:45 Stilicho, the last Roman general4:43:21 Alaric sacks Rome, 4104:57:38 476: the last western emperor5:23:15 Theoderic the Great6:01:38 Justinian's reconquest of Italy6:30:48 The fall of Roman Britain7:01:26 How the Church inherited Rome7:29:27 What happened after Rome fell8:33:34 Closing SOURCESAncient: Cassius Dio, Roman History; Herodian; the Historia Augusta; Lactantius, On the Deaths of the Persecutors; Eusebius, Life of Constantine; Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices; Ammianus Marcellinus; Zosimus, New History; Orosius; Jordanes, Getica; Procopius, Wars; Gildas, On the Ruin of Britain; Bede, Ecclesiastical History; Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks.Modern: Kyle Harper, The Fate of Rome (2017); Colin Elliott, Pox Romana (2024); Peter Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire (2005); Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization (2005); Adrian Goldsworthy, How Rome Fell (2009); Chris Wickham, The Inheritance of Rome (2009).
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