169- Huns and Vandals and Goths, Oh My

In the 440s, the Huns began to direclty attack the Roman Empire. 

After placating Atilla with yet another indemnity, Theodosius II fell from his horse and died in 450, leaving the Eastern throne vacant. 

In 451 Atilla the Hun invaded the West. He was repelled by a coalition of forces lead by the General Aetius. 

In the late 4th century and early 5th centuries two massive largely-Germanic confederations arrived on Roman borders, having been uprooted from their homelands by the Huns. These were the Goths and the Vandals. Both peoples would become prime enemies of the Roman Empires in the E ... Show More

In 476, the last of the Roman emperors in the West was deposed; in 1776, historian Edward Gibbon wrote “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, and Rome’s fate became a major point of comparison for all empires. In Gibbon's view, instead of inquiring why the Rom ... Show More

<p>Augustus&apos; Roman Empire produced over two hundred years of peace in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It was called the &apos;Pax Romana&apos;, or Roman Peace. It has never been achieved before or since. So, how did the Romans do it? Find out in this episode.</p><p ... Show More

Las aptitudes militares de Espartaco y su carisma personal convirtieron una limitada revuelta de gladiadores en la mayor rebelión de esclavos que conoció la antigua Roma; apenas tenían armas, pero eran fuertes y sabían combatir, y bajo su mando, los insurrectos batieron a seis ge ... Show More

En la antigua Roma las burlas y chistes formaban parte del día a día de los ciudadanos, y no perdonaban a nadie. Los soldados eran especialmente dados a las pullas, incluso en momentos de gran solemnidad como los desfiles triunfales de los generales victoriosos en Roma. 

<p>For centuries, the Roman Empire commanded unparalleled control over the world around it. It expanded its borders through trade and conquest, sucking resources from the periphery into its thriving centre - Rome. And then, suddenly, everything changed. The Empire entered a state ... Show More