Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages

by Dan Jones

The Visigoths’ sack of a.d. 410 was no annihilation; the attachment of Alaric and many of his followers to the Christian faith ensured that. But it was definitely an enthusiastic looting spree. Having entered Rome through the Salarian Gate, the Goths toured Rome’s shrines, monuments, public buildings, and private houses, stripping them of valuables but leaving most structures standing and most people unmolested. Ordinary civilians were allowed to take refuge in the large basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, which were designated places of Christian sanctuary. Visigoths ran riot in the Forum, burned the Senate house, and ruined several large mansions, but otherwise the majority of Rome’s famous landmarks were left intact. Some high-value items, including a two-thousand-pound silver tabernacle, were stolen, and wealthy citizens were held up with menaces.