410 - The Sack of Rome. The event, its context and its impact, Rome, November 4-6, 2010

The Visigothic sack of Rome in 410 A.D. has traditionally played a crucial role in narratives of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. From Augustine and Orosius to the modern age the sack has left an indelible mark in Western intellectual history, as a symbol of the decline of the Eternal City. However, scholars have recently revised the importance and magnitude of the sack, playing down its impact on the city of Rome and in late imperial history in general. At the same time, late antique history and archaeology have experienced important developments, and our knowledge of the city of Rome in the 5th century has been greatly expanded.

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