Barbarians

The Goths

In A.D. 410 the Goths sacked the Eternal City, Rome, and delivered one of the most devastating attacks in history on the Roman Empire. What motivated this onslaught? How was such an attack against the once invincible empire possible? Who were the Goths, and what were the consequences of their victory, for themselves and for the empire? Barbarians: The Goths shows how the Goths were a people stuck between a rock and a hard place, who lashed out against the Romans only under duress and when all other options had failed them.

CURRICULUM LINKS
Barbarians: The Goths can be used in history classes.

NOTE TO EDUCATORS
This program is appropriate for middle school and high school students. It contains some descriptions of graphic violence.

OBJECTIVES
After viewing this program, students should be able to discuss the emergence, development, and legacy of the Goths; the career and achievements of the Goth leader Alaric; the political state of the Roman empire in the fourth and fifth centuries.

STANDARDS
Barbarians: The Goths fulfills the following National Standards for History for grades 5-12: chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretations.

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITY
1.Before watching the video, read through and prepare to answer all the questions below.
2.What was happening elsewhere in Europe in the fourth and fifth centuries?

Discussion Questions

  1. Where were Goths originally from?

  2. What made them seek protection from the Roman Empire? What risks or compromises did seeking protection from the Romans entail?

  3. What kind of people were the Goths before the incursions of the Huns? How would you characterize their society and social organization?

  4. Under what circumstances do most of the Goths convert to Christianity? What does this suggest about their conviction or their goals?

  5. After Emperor Valens granted permission to the Goths to enter Roman territory south of the Danube and assured them they would receive food and land, he reneged on his pledge. Why do you think he didn’t honor his commitments to the Goths? Or, if he knew he wasn’t going to honor them, why did he make such offerings to the Goths in the first place?

  6. Describe the encounter between the Goths and the Romans in Adrianople. Why was this episode?

  7. Why did Emperor Theodosius sign a treaty with the Goths? What were terms of the treaty? How were the Goths brutally discriminated against in their service in the Roman army?

  8. Who was Alaric? What were his goals as a leader?

  9. After the sack of Rome, why didn’t the Goths assume control of the entire Roman empire? What did happen to them afterwards?

  10. What motivated the Goths attack on the Romans at Marcianople? What made such an attack possible?

  11. What were the long-term political effects of the sack of Rome in A.D. 410?

  12. One of the featured historians argues that the sack of Rome represents not the climax of Alaric’s efforts as a leader but rather was a diplomatic defeat. What does he mean by this? What do you think?
Extended Activities

  1. Debate this proposition:
Related Videos
Primary Sources
  • On-line version of Jordanes’s sixth-century history, Origin and Deeds of the Goths: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html

Air Dates

Classroom Materials