The Fall of the Roman Empire: Film and History

For over a century, epic cinema has significantly shaped popular interest in Roman history and culture. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), the last of the silver–screen epics about ancient Rome before Gladiator, stands out as the only epic that attempted, and largely succeeded, to show the greatness of Roman civilization rather than to condemn it for luxury, debauchery, religious persecution, and imperialism.

The essays collected in this book present the first comprehensive appreciation of The Fall of the Roman Empire from historical, historiographical, and cinematic perspectives. The book also provides the principal classical sources on the period. It is a companion to Gladiator: Film and History (Blackwell, 2004) and Spartacus: Film and History (Blackwell, 2007) and completes a triad of scholarly studies on Hollywood’s greatest films about Roman 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

Martin M. Winkler is Professor of Classics at George Mason University. He is the editor of Gladiator (Blackwell, 2004), Spartacus (Blackwell, 2007) and Troy (Blackwell, 2006) and the author of The Roman Salute (2009) and Cinema and Classical Texts (2009). He has also published numerous articles on Roman literature and filmic retellings of classical and medieval history and myth.

"Useful perspectives and controversial points of discussion." ( Scholia Reviews, 2009)

“A comprehensive treatment of an underappreciated film from a variety of critical perspectives” ( Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2010)

“After reading the book, I reviewed The Fall of the Roman Empire, this time better informed about the director, the history (Roman and cinematic), the political and social issues of the day, details about production, comparison with contemporary and later films, and much more. Viewing the film from this expansive vantage point made for a rich experience.”
( Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, July 2011)