2. Aims of today’s session
To consider some modern representations/
interpretations of the end of the Roman Empire
To think about the role that these depictions play in
popular perceptions of the Roman Empire
To consider what this can tell us about
(a) fall of Rome
(b) the contexts in which interpretation/ representation
takes place
To think about how cinema relates to other cultural
representations of the fall of Rome
3. Medieval visions of Rome
Successor kingdoms
Victory over Rome (e.g.
Visigoths)
Common descent and peaceful
succession to Rome (e.g.
Franks)
Institutional memories
Medieval Papacy: the Roman
church as successor of empire
Imperial successors
Holy Roman Empire (800): a re-
founded empire
Continuity in Byzantium
4. Renaissance and Reformation
Renaissance:
self-conception/
representation as period of
rebirth of classical learning
1453:
Fall of Constantinople to
the Turks
Reformation:
Papacy and Holy Roman
Emperor take on key role
in counter-reform
movement
Personal identity:
Writers such as Erasmus &
Luther cultivate
connections to church
fathers writing under later Fall of Constantinople (painted 1499)
empire (e.g. Jerome &
Augustine)
5. 18th & 19th Century
The Grand Tour
Emerging nation states in western Europe trace their origins to the post-
Roman kingdoms; so end of Roman rule is important
International empires look to Roman Empire as example (and try to learn
from it)
E.g. Training elites to govern the empire
Roman Republic and foundations of American Republic (see Winkler)
6. In art and
literature
18th century: history-writing in
independent Naples
emphasise oppression of
Rome
Melissa Calaresu, ‘Images of Antonio Canaletto (1697-1768), detail from
Ancient Rome in Late Rome: a Caprice View with Ruins based on the
Eighteenth-Century Neapolitan Forum (c. 1730)
Historiography’, Journal of the
History of Ideas 58.4 (1997), 641-
661
19th century: literary focus on
decadence and the decline of
nations (including Roman
Empire)
Wolfdietrich Rasch, ‘Literary
Decadence Artistic
Representations of Decay’,
Journal of Contemporary History
17.1 (1982), 201-218 Karl Briullov, Sacco di Roma 455 (1833-36)
7. Discussion of articles
1. Winkler, ‘The Roman Empire in American Cinema after 1945’
2. Cyrino, ‘Gladiator and Contemporary American Society’
3. Winkler, ‘Cinema and the Fall of Rome’
Think about the following questions:
What are the key points of your article?
Can you think of any problems with your article?
What does your article tell us about modern
interpretations of the Roman Empire and/or its fall?
Is this approach to the study of the ancient world valid?
Why? What is its value and what are the risks?
8. Ben Hur (i)
1959
Set in reign of Tiberius
Rich Jewish citizen betrayed by
childhood friend and new Roman
tribune, Messala, after refusing to
submit the names of dissenting
Jews
Sold as a slave, eventually
becomes a charioteer and defeats
Messala, who dies in race
Ben Hur is saved by
Jesus, witnesses his
crucifixion, which solidifies his
conversion
Compares the military regime of
the Roman Empire with that of
Nazi Germany
Rome presented as a master-
race, arrogant and destined to fall
10. Quo Vadis (i)
1951
Set in Rome, from 64–68, under Nero
Main subjects: emergence of
Christianity and the corruption of the
empire
Characters and events depicted are a
mixture of historical and fictional
Story of Roman military
commander, Marcus Vinicius, who
returns from the wars and falls in love
with a devout Christian, Lygia, and
becomes intrigued by her religion
Their love story is told against the
broader background of early
Christianity and its persecution by Nero
and his (failed) attempts to blame the
Christians for the fire of Rome
11. Quo Vadis (ii)
Parallel between decadent
militaristic Roman Empire with the
fascist powers of 1930s and 1940s
Crowd size and granting of triumph
to Vinicius, who would not have
qualified for one , are anachronistic
(and not in the original novel)
The triumph begins with children
beating drums; followed by masses
of uniformed soldiers: compare
with scenes at 8:35 of Why we fight
Mention made of Roman origin of
Fascist Italy’s fasces
Rome as the “evil empire”
archetype
12. The fall of Rome...
The Fall of the Roman
Empire (1964)
Agora (2009)
• What are the main themes
of these trailers?
• What factors do they
suggest are responsible for
the fall of Rome?
13. The birth of Britain...
2004
• What are the main similarities and
2007
differences between these trailers?
• Who is made responsible for the
fall of Rome?
• What do the trailers suggest
happened next?
14. A cultural phenomenon
NOVELS. Gore Vidal, Julian (1964):
historical novel based in primary
sources; impact of Christianity on
empire; Christianity and politics;
blames Christians for murder of
Julian
VIDEO GAMES. Rome: Total War –
Barbarian Invasions (2005): eastern
and western empire; senate no
longer powerful; barbarians; hordes;
religious tension between
Christians, pagans, Zoroastrians
17. Discussion
What periods/ geographical-political areas
are particularly interested in this topic?
What can these depictions tell us about the
fall of Rome?
What else can they tell us?
18. Conclusion
Reception
Evokes strong responses
Highly stereotyped visions of what
actually happened
2 strands:
A model to learn from and emulate
A negative example: an evil empire
Particularly important for thinking
about the fate of nations and empires
Utility
Not very useful for telling us what happened in antiquity
But possibly useful for thinking about the topic in different
ways or bringing us back to traditional interpretations
And definitely useful for what it tells us about periods in which
such re-imaginings took (and still take) place