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Welcome
to Daniel Costa's weblog!
I HAVE WONDERFUL NEWS! ON
JANUARY 10, 2008 MY FRIEND LUIGI DI GIROLAMO AND PROFESSOR LUDOVICO GATTO FROM THE UNIVERSITY LA SAPIENZA, ROME, ITALY, ONE
OF THE GREATEST HISTORIANS OF OUR TIME AND THE AUTHOR OF THE MONUMENTAL 'STORIA DI ROMA NEL MEDIOEVO' (HISTORY OF
MEDIEVAL ROME), DISCUSSED THE INITIATIVE MADE PUBLIC BY THIS WEBLOG.
I AM DELIGHTED TO INFORM YOU
THAT PROFESSOR GATTO FULLY SUPPORTS THE IDEA OF COMMEMORATING IN AUGUST 2010 IN ROME, ITALY, 1600 YEARS FROM THE
FALL OF ROME TO ALARIC! PROFESSOR GATTO WILL BRING HIS ACADEMIC MIGHT TO THE PREPARATION OF THE COMMEMORATION AND TO
THE COMMEMORATION ITSELF.
ON JANUARY 18, 2008, PROFESSOR ANDREAS SCHWARCZ FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA INFORMED
ME ABOUT HIS INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE IN A SERIOUS SCIENTIFIC MEETING COMMEMORATING THE FALL OF ROME IN AUGUST 410 AND WISHED
US GOOD LUCK IN THE PURSUIT OF OUR GOAL. PROFESSOR SCHWARCZ TEACHES MEDIEVAL HISTORY AND IS A WORLD-RENOWNED EXPERT IN THE
HISTORY OF THE GOTHS.
TO KEEP INFORMED ABOUT THE GROUNDWORK FOR THIS UNIQUE COMMEMORATION, PLEASE HAVE
PERIODICALLY A LOOK AT THIS SITE, WHICH WILL BE REBUILT IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO ALLOW VISITORS TO POST THEIR COMMENTS
AND SUGGESTIONS AND TO EXCHANGE VIEWS AMONGST THEMSELVES.
I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THE YOUNG, INTELLIGENT AND
ADVENTUROUS VISITORS WITH AN INTEREST IN HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY WILL NOT MISS THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE TO EXPLORE
THE MYSTERIES OF LATE ANCIENT AND EARLY MEDIEVAL ROME, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PROFESSOR GATTO, THE GREATEST LIVING HISTORIAN
OF MEDIEVAL ROME.
IF YOU WISH TO READ ABOUT LATE ANCIENT AND EARLY MEDIEVAL ROME, PLEASE
HAVE A LOOK AT THE BOOKS MENTIONED BELOW.
MY BOOK 'THE LOST GOLD OF ROME: THE HUNT FOR ALARIC'S TREASURE' NARRATES
THE HISTORY OF LATE ANCIENT AND EARLY MEDIEVAL ROME FROM THE SURPRISING ANGLE OF THE HUNT FOR ALARIC'S GOLDEN HOARD.
'THE LOST GOLD OF ROME' HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED AS 2007 SUMMER READING BY THE 'SONS OF ITALY IN
AMERICA' NATIONAL BOOK CLUB. IT HAS BEEN FEATURED IN THE JULY 2007 ISSUE OF 'OXEN' (THE ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
OF OXBOW BOOKS FROM CAMBRIDGE, UK). IT HAS ALSO BEEN REVIEWED BY NINE READERS ON AMAZON.CO.UK
THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE
IN ENGLISH AND POLISH (UNDER THE TITLE 'ZAGINIONE ZLOTO RZYMU'; A GOOGLE SEARCH WILL LEAD YOU TO MANY
POLISH INTERNET AND BRICK AND MORTAR BOOKSELLERS CARRYING THE BOOK).
THE ENGLISH VERSION IS CURRENTLY IN
STOCK AT AMAZON.CO.UK, AMAZON.CA, AMAZON.FR, AMAZON.DE, AMAZON.AT, AMAZON.JP, MANY OTHER INTERNET BOOKSELLERS, AS
WELL AS MANY MAJOR BRICK AND MORTAR BOOKSELLERS IN GREAT BRITAIN SUCH AS WATERSTONES, FOYLES AND BLACKWELL.
ON FEBRUARY 25, 2008 IT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM, BARNESANDNOBLE.COM AND CHAPTERS-INDIGO.CA, AS WELL
AS IN BRICK AND MORTAR BOOKSTORES IN USA AND CANADA.
FINALLY, 'THE LOST GOLD OF ROME: THE HUNT FOR ALARIC'S
TREASURE' WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE IN FRENCH (EDITIONS PERRIN, PARIS) AND SERBIAN (SEZAM, BELGRADE).
JUST BELOW YOU WILL SEE THE TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH OF THE LETTER OF SUPPORT WRITTEN BY PROFESSOR GATTO AND HIS
ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN LETTER IN ITALIAN.
The University of
Rome "La Sapienza"
The Department for Studies of Medieval Societies and Cultures Dear
Di Girolamo, It seems to me that the project proposed by you, relating to the anniversary of the siege and conquest
of Rome by Alaric in A.D. 410, to be commemorated in 2010, is certainly interesting. The siege of Rome, in fact, the first
since the remote times of the Gauls, represents a true and genuine watershed between the age of antiquity and the age that
was called medieval in order to bring it to our attention. Many damages were inflicted upon the eternal city on that
occasion; but the most serious were doubtless psychological and that will be obvious. In fact, with the fall of Rome
at the end of August 410, the idea of invincibility associated for a long time with the Empire and its old capital lost credibility
and the belief in the by then rapid decline of an entire epoch, a glorious and invincible age, gained ground. It seems
to me that focusing on these issues in a scientific manner is an opportune initiative, and as much as I can, I will try to
make a contribution, if this initiative will come to fruition, with a prelude, a paper or in other manner that the organizers
will consider useful. In the meantime, I am waiting for news regarding this matter and I express my best wishes of
success to this initiative. Best regards, Ludovico Gatto
 
| Click on the cover to find it on amazon.co.uk. |
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| A readable history of early medieval Rome seen from the novel angle of the hunt for Alaric's gold. |
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| Professor Gatto's History of Medieval Rome. Click on the cover to buy it from an Italian vendor. |
This weblog is an online journal dedicated to the commemoration on
August 24-27, 2010 of 1,600 years from the invasion of Rome by the Visigoths of Alaric, the first time
that imperial Rome fell. We are interested in hearing from people who have suggestions on how to commemorate in
2010 the fall of Rome. We are aware that this is a very ambitious project, but the potential rewards are considerable. We
could learn a lot while working on it, encourage others to learn with us about aspects of late ancient and early
medieval Rome's history that are important to the understanding of our time, and have lots and lots of fun!
We strongly believe that people who have no interest at this point in late ancient and early medieval Rome will realize
that knowing more about this mysterious Roman period is vital for their cultural survival.
We wish to use
the commemoration of the fall of Rome as an opportunity to introduce you to this fascinating chapter of European history
in a pleasant and entertaining way. We are examining the possibility of organizing processions
of living history enthusiasts wearing reenactment costumes. We are also considering visits to Roman
sites that witnessed important events and symposia opened to the general public.
We hope that you will join our
growing international group which at this point includes people from Italy, Canada, USA, Mexico, Germany, UK and
Denmark. In case you have made up your mind to participate in the commemorative activities, please read the legal notice
at the bottom of this page.
In August 2010, make Rome your Italian vacation destination and travel back
in time with us. Or program your escorted Italian tour to end in the capital of Italy shortly before August 23, 2010. Book
well in advance your hotels in Rome for the most exciting Italian holiday of your life.
Your comments and
suggestions will be sincerely appreciated. Please click on the link below to email them to us.
daniel@fallofrome2010.com
I will make changes to this
site on a regular basis, sharing news, views, experiences, photos...anything related to preparing the commemoration of the
fall of Rome in August 2010. Check back often!
The Fall of Rome: August 24, 410-August 24, 2010
La Caduta
di Roma: 24 Agosto 410-24 Agosto 2010
Der Fall Roms: 24. August 410-24. August 2010
La Chute de Rome: le 24
août 410-le 24 août 2010
La Caida de Roma: El 24 de agosto de 410-El 24 de agosto de 2010
La Caida
de Roma: 24 de Agosto de 410-24 de Agosto de 2010
La Caida de Roma: 24 de agosto de 410-24 de agosto de 2010
Upadek Rzymu: 24 Sierpnia 410-24 Sierpnia 2010
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| St Peter's stands where Old St Peter's offered protection to those fleeing the Visigoths in 410. |
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| Please click on the cover above to go to the book's page on Amazon.co.uk |
In this area you will find notes,
pictures and links that highlight parts of my recently published book The Lost Gold of Rome: The Hunt for Alaric's
Treasure. The cover above this text will take you to the Amazon.co.uk page of The Lost Gold of Rome. This
book examines late ancient and early Dark Ages Rome from the uncommon perspective of the centuries long search for
the secret site of the rich burial of Alaric, King of the Visigoths, who invaded Rome in 410.
The images
on this page include buildings and ruins that are connected one way or another with the events of the Visigothic
invasion of Rome in 410 . Today's magnificent St Peter's Basilica (San Pietro in Vaticano) stands on the site of Old
St Peter's, which offered protection to the Romans fleeing the Visigoths. The vanished Porta Salaria (Salarian Gate)
stood in what is today Piazza Fiume. Porta Salaria was the Visigoths' point of entry into Rome. Before they broke into
the city which had not seen invasion by foreigners for 800 years, Alaric's command centre was located outside
the Aurelian Wall, not far from this legendary gate. The Visigoths did not spare the imposing Colosseum. In the
picture, the amphitheatre which is today the symbol of ancient Rome looms past the Temple of Venus and Rome.
In the Roman Forum, the Visigoths torched several buildings. In Santa Maria in Trastevere, the first church dedicated
to Madonna, the invaders destroyed the liturgical ornaments. In a 1685 etching, Adriaan Schoonebeck, czar
Peter the Great's chief printer, left for posterity his rendition of the sack of Rome by Alaric. In
the background, we notice buildings in flames and the column of Trajan. The barbarians also damaged the splendid
Baths of Diocletian, erected through the labour of thousands of Christian soldiers and civilians. The frigidarium (a
covered pool of unheated water) of the Baths of Diocletian is home to today's Santa Maria degli Angeli in Piazza
della Rebubblica. Santa Maria degli Angeli miraculously preserves parts of the Baths of Diocletian, largely due to Michelangelo's
reluctance to make major changes when asked to design a church among the ruins of the famous baths. The remains of Basilica
Aemilia, which the Visigoths also set on fire, are located between the still standing ancient Senate and the
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Basilica Aemilia's pavement displays marks left by coins melted by the
blaze started by the Visigoths. The Lateran Baptistery (Battistero) and its much larger neighbour St John in Lateran (San
Giovanni in Laterano)-the cathedral of Rome to this day, were both plundered by the men of Alaric. According to the Book
of Pontiffs, Constantine the Great placed fabulous treasures in San Giovanni in Laterano. Sts Cosma and Damian (Santi
Cosma e Damiano), located next to the Roman Forum, is all that is left from the Temple of Peace, temporary home to
the treasure of the Temple at Jerusalem seized by Titus in 70. The Visigoths torched the Temple of Peace, but they
must have plundered it first. Sts John and Paul on the Caelian Hill (Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio), was also
pillaged by the Visigoths. The Arch of Titus displays reliefs narrating the triumph of Emperor Vespasian ans his son Titus
over the Jews in 71. It is not hard to recognize the sacred furnishings of the Temple at Jerusalem carried in procession by
the Romans, including the most ancient, though imperfect, illustration of the famous Menorah. In his
romanticized biography of Alaric, Marcel Brion wrote that the king of the Visigoths was buried with the treasure
of Solomon. The Temple of Hercules (the oldest surviving marble building in Rome dating back to 179 B.C.) near
Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a fascinating structure, unfortunately ignored by many visitors of Rome. The Temple of Portunus
(god of the harbours) is only 115 feet north of the Temple of Hercules, near the area of the ancient Port of Rome (Portus
Tiberinus). The egress into the Tiber of the Cloaca Maxima, the great sewer of Rome, is located between these two ancient
temples. Portus Tiberinus was paralyzed by Alaric in 410 by the seizure of Portus, the maritime port of Rome.
Santa Maria in Saxia, not involved in the events of 410, was not far from Old St Peter's and today its site
is occupied by Santo Spirito in Sassia. Santa Maria in Saxia, built in the 7th and 8th centuries, was an annex to the guest-house
for the British Saxon pilgrims. Old St Peter's, erected by Constantine the Great, was gradually demolished as
the structures of today's St Peter's were being built. The last parts of Old St Peter's were removed
in 1606. Old St Peter's, Santa Maria in Saxia and other vanished buildings in the area of Old St Peter's witnessed
in 846 one of the most hushed-up misdeeds of Islam.
The link just below will enable you to see what
Oxbow Books from Oxford, UK had to say about The Lost Gold of Rome:
http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxen.cfm/IssueNumber/62Other links:
http://www.thehistorychan...tter_competition_home.php
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/http://penelo...E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/home.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook2.htmlhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/vita-constantine.htmlhttp://penelo...ayer/E/Roman/Texts/Frontinus/home.htmlhttp://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf206.htmlhttp://www.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.htmlhttp://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/war-pref.htmhttp://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.iii.v.htmlhttp://www.tertullian.org/fathers/philostorgius.htmhttp://penelo...s/Procopius/Anecdota/home.htmlhttp://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.iv.vii.htmlhttp://bcs.fltr.ucl.ac.be/GERM/gt-01-04.htmhttp://www.tertullian.org/fathers/zachariah00.htmhttp://www.tertullian.org/fathers/zosimus00_intro.htmhttp://www.corrie...ica/2004/05_Maggio/16/imam.shtmlhttp://penelo...ts/PLATOP*/home*.htmlhttp://penelo...y/BURLAT/home.htmlhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.htmlhttp://www.telemaco.unibo.it/rom/italia/lucania1.htmhttp://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/home.htmlhttp://query.nytime...E3CF935A1575AC0A96F958260http://www.vatican.va/holy_fa..._circolo-roma_it.htmlhttp://penelo..._Texts/Lanciani/LANARD/home.htmlhttp://penelo..._Texts/Lanciani/LANPAC/home.htmlhttp://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/texts/jordanes.htmlhttp://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/texts/cassbook/toc.html
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| The Temple of Hercules, the oldest marble building in Rome (179 B.C.), near Santa Maria in Cosmedin. |
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| The Temple of Portunus is 115ft north of the Temple of Hercules. Alaric paralyzed the nearby port. |
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| The vanished Porta Salaria stood in today's Piazza Fiume. Courtesy Roberto Piperno, Rome. |
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| The Colosseum looms past the ruins of the Temple of Venus and Rome. The Visigoths did not spare it. |
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| St Mary in Trastevere. In 410, the Visigoths destroyed its liturgical ornaments. |
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| The hordes of Alaric sack Rome. Adriaan Schoonebeck, 1685. |
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| The Visigoths damaged the Baths of Diocletian, today's St Mary of the Angels, |
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| The ruins of Basilica Aemilia in the Roman Forum. The Visigoths set it on fire. |
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| The Lateran Baptistery, pillaged by the Visigoths in 410. |
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| Santo Spirito in Sassia on the site of Santa Maria in Saxia. |
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| In 410, the fabulously endowed St John in Lateran did not escape the fate of the Lateran Baptistery. |
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| Sts Cosma and Damian is all that remains from the Temple of Peace, torched by the Visigoths in 410. |
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| The Visigoths also plundered Sts John and Paul on the Caelian Hill. |
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| The furnishings of the Jerusalem Temple are easy to recognize on the reliefs of the Arch of Titus. |
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| According to the legend, the stream Busento in Cosenza hides the tomb of Alaric. |
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| The Lost Gold in Italian America |
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| Click on the picture above to jump to The Lost Gold of Rome on Amazon.co.uk |
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