[gothic-l] Rome Turning Into a Sewer

[Bertil Haggman]

Interesting twist on the question of the chaos,
uncivility and decadence of the late western
Roman empire. Jerome in 409 spoke of Rome
as "fighting within her own boundaries not for
fame but for existence, nay, not even fighting
but buying her life with money and goods." Taxes
had doubled during the fourth century AD. The
senatorial landlord avoided paying taxes
either by passing the costs on to their tenants
or by corrupting the local justice system, but for
the middle classes there was no escape. Not even
death provided escape-the heirs inherited the taxes
to the state. If there was no child 3/4 of the estate
was forfeit to the state.

Many Romans in this desperate situation preferred
the Goths. It was Salvanius, I think, that  commented:
all the Romans (on Gothic territory) have but one
desire, that they may never have to return to Roman
jurisdiction. There is even, if I recollect correctly, one
case of a Greek who even preferred to live under
the Huns to the ruthless taxation and unprincipled
conduct of his superiors with the crumbling empire.

Theoderic the Great rebuilt the collapsed Rome and
at one time gave over one hundred measures of grain
annually of the Roman people and the poor in the city.
Theoderic financed the rebuilding of the city walls,
he restored the old palace, repaired Trajan's aqueduct.
He built a new palace, amphiteatre and baths in Pavia and had
Pompey's ancient theatre in Rome restored.

Romans hoped for Pax Gothica.

Bertil Haggman

> Categories like 'cowardness' have no explanatory value in serious
> research and add nothing to the understanding of the events. Also, a
> war is not over until one side does not get up to fight another day.
> If I remember correctly, it was the Goths and Vandals who suffered
> final defeat at the hands of the excellent Roman generals like
> Belisar and Narses and - as usual- its Germanic auxiliary troops.
>
> Applying your own categories we must conclude that at the end it was
> the Goths and Vandals who were the cowards. This is of course just as
> non-sensical as your labelling of the Roman army as suffereing from
> cowardice.



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