The sacking of Rome and the death of Alaric 1
For centuries, Rome was a relatively safe place for citizens who lived within its walls. A huge empire with a rapacious military headed by capable leaders kept the barbarians at bay. But the stability didn’t last forever and the situation really worsened for Rome when the emperor Diocletian split it into two empires. Over time the power base shifted to Constantinople and to the emperor residing there at the time.
But the so-called barbarians were becoming frustrated with Rome, which continued to enslave them. And those frustrations loomed larger for the Goths after a treaty signed in 382 A.D. by the Goths and the Romans. The treaty allowed them to settle in the Balkans, but only as allies, not citizens. It also mandated that they serve in the Roman army. This was an alarming concern for many Goths who realized they would be expected to serve as “sacrificial lambs” at the front of the Roman army. Tragically, in many of Rome’s battles, especially at the battle of the River Frigidus in 394 A.D., this proved to be true.
So it’s understandable that Alaric 1, born in 370 A.D. wasn’t a huge fan of the Roman empire. He was still in his 20s when he led a series of impressive victories in 395 A.D. This included the sacking cities of Athens, Corinth, and Sparta. by 401 A.D. Alaric and his forces invaded Italy. Then came the invasion of Rome, where tens of thousands of Gothic slaves were liberated. His forces ransacked the city of three days, plundering the homes of the wealthy, destroying pagan temples and burning buildings. But for all of that, Alaric’s huge army still left much of the city intact and many of its inhabitants unharmed.
After such a massive victory, the Visigoth king looked to northern Africa. And he had a good reason for this: northern Africa was a major source of grain for the Roman Empire. But as he reached Consentia, he fell ill.
Even though he was completely healthy. And he died. Just like that.
Researchers, thumbing through historical, medical, and epidemiological sources may have hit on the cause of his death. It seems there’s a good chance that this mighty warrior was felled by a tiny mosquito carrying the parasite that causes malaria. Alaric was young and healthy, so the chances that he suffered a heart attack, stroke, or an aneurysm aren’t likely. And none of the historians from this time period mention it.
For the most part, all we really know about this man comes from the writings gleaned from Jordanes, who wrote of Alaric’s death:
“Subito immatura morte praeventus rebus humanus excessit … dum secum, quid ageret, deliberaret,” which translates to “suddenly, dying of an untimely death, he left human cares, while he was pondering on what he should do next.”
When you read this, it’s clear that Alaric’s sudden death came as a shock to many. Contemporary historians now believe that the 40-year-old king contracted a severe form of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum (endemic to central and southern Italy), which is carried by a species of Anopheles mosquito. Other infectious diseases, such as typhoid fever, gastroenteritis, or even influenza could have killed Alaric, but there’s no mention by ancient historians of these diseases ravaging his army. And researchers Francesco Galassi and colleagues detailed their reasons for linking his death to the disease in an issue of The European Journal of Internal Medicine.
Since Alaric and his troops had never visited the places where this disease is endemic — central and southern Italy, their risk of contracting this deadly disease was indeed very high, Galassi notes. sBut one of the only ways to confirm this is to solve the mystery of the location of Alaric’s grave. Something that the even the Nazis, with their finely tuned abilities to sniff out gold, couldn’t do. In death, this Visigoth king is conquering our imagination.
Where do we get our stuff? Here are our sources:
WeVillas: Cosenza, The Italian City With 25 Tons Of Ancient Artifacts
The Telegraph: Italy To Dig For Ancient Roman Treasure Sought By Nazis, by Nick Squires
The Telegraph: The Rabbi, The Lost Ark And The Future Of Temple Mount
ViaggiArt: Ponte di Alarico (Parco Letterario T. Campanella)
People, UCalgary. Ca: Jordanes: The Origin And Deeds Of The Goths, translated by Charles C. Mierow
Wikipedia: The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire
The Telegraph: Adolf Hitler’s Aryan Theory Rubbished By Science, by Harry deQuetteville
The Local: Italian Town Promotes Itself With Nazi Photo
Ancient History Encyclopedia: Vandals, by Joshua J. Mark