Alaric the Goth

An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome

Alaric the Goth
Douglas Boin
RRP:
NZ$ 33.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 28.89
Paperback
h235 x 140mm - 272pg
1 Oct 2021 US
International import eta 10-30 days
9780393867510
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In the conventional story of Rome's collapse, violent "barbarians" destroy "civilization." Yet from a different point of view, those stale generalities become a history shockingly alive and relevant.Alaric grew up near the river border that separated Gothic territory from the Romans. He survived the emperor's decision to separate immigrant children from their parents, sending them hundreds of miles from their families or forcing them into slavery. Later, he was denied citizenship despite his service in the army, as Romans were deeply conflicted over who should enjoy its privileges: they wanted to buttress their global power, yet were insecure about Roman identity; they depended on foreign goods, but scoffed at foreign ways and mocked foreigners with a potent mix of bigotry and intolerance. The three nights of riots the Goths brought to the capital in ad 410-led by Alaric-struck fear into the hearts of the powerful, but were not without cause. Through Alaric's story, Douglas Boin reveals the Goths' complex and fascinating legacy in shaping the history we thought we knew, but had never imagined from their perspective.
This is a story of desperation and broken promises, pitting refugees from the north seeking homes, respect, and citizenship in an unwieldy empire already juddering with anti-immigrant fears, social upheavals, and political treachery. With deep research and insight, Boin traces the trajectory of cultural conflict from dashed hopes to devastation.--Adrienne Mayor, author of Gods and Robots
A brilliantly readable account of the fall of the western Roman Empire, which for the first time spotlights not the Romans, but the Gothic invader Alaric. This is a story for our own age too. Douglas Boin asks us to take seriously the question of what would have happened if the tottering city of Rome had prioritized inclusive citizenship over paranoia and conflict; if it had built bridges rather than walls. This is urgent, gravid history, which will be read by anyone interested in empire, cultural conflict and the making of the modern narrative of the West.--Tim Whitmarsh, author of Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World
A fascinating account of one of the most important--and misunderstood--leaders in Roman history. Douglas Boin...tells the story of a man fighting for respect and dignity in a world consumed by civil war, religious intolerance, ethnic prejudice, greedy self-interest, and treacherous politics. Boin brings Alaric's world to life, and so brings Alaric to life. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the whole story of the fall of Rome.--Mike Duncan, New York Times best-selling author of The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
A remarkable feat of historical alchemy: a transmutation of the scanty and inadequate sources into the gold of a gripping narrative.--Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
Douglas Boin is an associate professor of history at Saint Louis University and the author of Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome and Coming Out Christian in the Roman World, as well as two scholarly books on antiquity. He lives in Austin, Texas.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780393867510
Published: 1 Oct 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: WW Norton & Co
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Format: Paperback
Height: 235mm
Width: 140mm
Pages: 272

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