The destruction of Ur and the fall of Rome

As we learned in class the nomadic Elamites sacked and destroyed the city of Ur around 2000 BCE. Ur had become a great city and the center of Mesopotamia. The Elamites being nomadic grassland people rose in rebellion and overthrew the third dynasty of Ur and destroyed the city. Approximately 2,400 years later in 410 AD the Goths also overthrew a pinnacle city. They were able to sack Rome. It is amazing that the cities’ greatest enemies turned out to be groups of nomads and barbarians.

The Goths were lead by their king Alaric. Alaric had once fought with the Romans as a mercenary solder. He led a legion of Goths fighting for the emperor. In a battle he lost many men and after the victory was never recognized as a hero and was never granted a high rank in the Roman army. The alliance between the Goths and the Romans collapsed within months. The Goths turned on the Romans and used their own technology to destroy Rome. Much like the Elamites used horses and chariots to go long distances quickly, the Goths used the Roman’s own road system against them. They were able to mass an army and quickly move through Italy. They sacked cities and towns as they pleased while marching on Rome.

When they reached Rome they laid siege and made sure to cut off all food and supplies. Once the food ran out and the bodies started stacking up the senators struck a deal with Alaric. Alaric demanded all slaves of barbarian nations be released, thousands of pounds of gold, silver, and pepper. In return the Goths would leave Rome unharmed. The senators agreed. Alaric and his Goths left with 40,000 liberated slaves and wagons full of loot.

Alaric then again asked the emperor for a military title, specifically commander of Rome’s army in the western provinces. Instead of granting or denying Alaric the position the emperor instructed his men never to grant high rank to a barbarian. The king of the Goths Alaric was insulted and again marched on Rome. They again laid siege to the city but this time in the middle of the night on August 24, 410 someone opened the gates from inside Rome. It was never discovered who let them in but the barbarian Goths flooded the streets and sacked Rome.

More information can be found in
Craughwell, Thomas J. How The Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World The Viking, Vandals, Huns, Mongols, Goths, and Tartars Who Razed The Old World And Formed The New. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press, 2008. Print.