The Fall of the Roman Empire: Film and History

List of Illustrations vii

Notes on Contributors ix

Editor's Preface xii

1. A Critical Appreciation of The Fall of the Roman Empire 1
Martin M. Winkler

2. History, Ancient and Modern, in The Fall of the Roman Empire 51
Allen M. Ward

3. Marcus Aurelius: The Empire Over Himself 89
Diskin Clay

4. Was Commodus Really That Bad? 102
Eleonora Cavallini

5. East and West in The Fall of the Roman Empire 117
Jan Willem Drijvers

6. Empire Demolition 130
Anthony Mann

7. Excerpts from the American Souvenir Program of The Fall of the Roman Empire 136

1. A Prologue by Will Durant 137

2. The Roman Forum: In Ruins Today . . . and Re-Created 139

3. An Epilogue 143

8. Edward Gibbon and The Fall of the Roman Empire 145
Martin M. Winkler

9. Fact, Fiction, and the Feeling of History 174
Martin M. Winkler

10. Peace and Power in The Fall of the Roman Empire 225
Ward W. Briggs, Jr.

11. The Politics of The Fall of the Roman Empire 241
Peter W. Rose

12. Excerpts from Edward Gibbon 262

1. Marcus Aurelius and His Time 262

2. The Auction of the Empire 266

The Chief Ancient Sources on Marcus Aurelius 271

1. Cassius Dio 271

2. The Augustan History: Marcus Antoninus the Philosopher 282

3. Herodian 298

Chronology: The Roman Empire at the Time of Marcus Aurelius 302

Bibliography 305

Index 327