Wish I Had Time for the Fall of Rome

I wish I had time to learn about everything in history. But I don't think I'll be able to, given that I can't keep up with what's happening now, or learn enough of our recent past to fully understand what's happening now, even though I think I'm fairly well informed and have lived through 50+ years of it as a conscious, news-reading person.

When I read tweets like these about the last years of the Roman Empire, though, I just want to give up current events and concerns about our future and look at the past. Talk about escapism!

I won't, of course. But for today, here are those linked tweets from Chris Riedel, medieval history professor: 

Taught my “Fall of Rome” class Friday, always one of my faves because it defies expectations. The Goths for instance repeatedly ask permission from Rome — they don’t want to end Rome, they want to be part of it, but on their terms. Legitimacy was inconceivable without Rome.

The (Visi)Goths even ally with Rome to defeat the much less Romanized Huns at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain. Certainly the Goths sacked Rome, but with restraint and as a negotiating strategy. Violence was (and sadly still is) a part of diplomacy, and negotiations continued.

The Goths had asked and received permission to enter and settle Roman territory before the Battle of Adrianople — and even after killing an emperor there, his successor negotiated a new treaty with them. The Goths adopted the Arian faith of the later 4th century emperors — again, negotiating.

Rome later used the Visigoths as allies against other “barbarians” who did not negotiate, such as the Suevi and Vandals in Iberia. Better to have barbarians who want your approval than those who don’t! But this is a transformation of Rome, not an end.

And of course Rome survived directly politically for another millennium in the east, but even there it was transformed. And as I say to my students, would Marcus Aurelius have recognized Constantine as Roman? Would Brutus? Rome was constantly transforming. Ship of Theseus.

I know there are many books on Rome, and classes I could take (for free! I'm old enough to audit for free at the University of Minnesota now). But there are a lot of other topics that are more immediately important, and even other cultures and histories just as deserving of my attention if I was going to look at the ancient past. 

But gee, the pull of the oldest stuff I first heard about is strong.