The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome

"A thoughtful and sophisticated account of a notoriously complicated and controversial period." —R. I. Moore, Times Literary SupplementHistory remembers Attila, the leader of the Huns, as the Romans perceived him: a savage barbarian brutally inflicting terror on whoever crossed his path. Following Attila and the Huns from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the court of Constantinople, Christopher Kelly portrays Attila in a compelling new light, uncovering an unlikely marriage proposal, a long-standing relationship with a treacherous Roman general, and a thwarted assassination plot. We see Attila as both a master warrior and an astute strategist whose rule was threatening but whose sudden loss of power was even more so. The End of Empire is an original exploration of the clash between empire and barbarity in the ancient world, full of contemporary resonance.

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The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome

"A thoughtful and sophisticated account of a notoriously complicated and controversial period." —R. I. Moore, Times Literary SupplementHistory remembers Attila, the leader of the Huns, as the Romans perceived him: a savage barbarian brutally inflicting terror on whoever crossed his path. Following Attila and the Huns from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the court of Constantinople, Christopher Kelly portrays Attila in a compelling new light, uncovering an unlikely marriage proposal, a long-standing relationship with a treacherous Roman general, and a thwarted assassination plot. We see Attila as both a master warrior and an astute strategist whose rule was threatening but whose sudden loss of power was even more so. The End of Empire is an original exploration of the clash between empire and barbarity in the ancient world, full of contemporary resonance.

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The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome

The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome

by Christopher Kelly
The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome

The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome

by Christopher Kelly

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Overview

"A thoughtful and sophisticated account of a notoriously complicated and controversial period." —R. I. Moore, Times Literary SupplementHistory remembers Attila, the leader of the Huns, as the Romans perceived him: a savage barbarian brutally inflicting terror on whoever crossed his path. Following Attila and the Huns from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the court of Constantinople, Christopher Kelly portrays Attila in a compelling new light, uncovering an unlikely marriage proposal, a long-standing relationship with a treacherous Roman general, and a thwarted assassination plot. We see Attila as both a master warrior and an astute strategist whose rule was threatening but whose sudden loss of power was even more so. The End of Empire is an original exploration of the clash between empire and barbarity in the ancient world, full of contemporary resonance.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780393338492
Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date: 06/14/2010
Pages: 350
Product dimensions: 5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Christopher Kelly, a professor of classics and ancient history and a Fellow and Director of studies in classics at Corpus Christi College at the University of Cambridge, where he received his PhD in classics. He lives in Cambridge, England, and Chicago, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xi

Maps xii

Prologue: The Strava of Attila the Hun 5

Part 1 Before Attila

Chapter 1 First Contact 11

Chapter 2 The Axis of Evil 23

Chapter 3 A Backward Steppe 34

Chapter 4 Romans and Barbarians 46

Chapter 5 How the West Was Won 59

Part 2 Huns and Romans

Chapter 6 A Tale of Two Cities 75

Chapter 7 War on Three Fronts 85

Chapter 8 Brothers in Arms 93

Chapter 9 Fighting for Rome 106

Chapter 10 Shock and Awe 119

Chapter 11 Barbarians at the Gates 130

Chapter 12 The Price of Peace 140

Part 3 Dinner With Attila

Chapter 13 Mission Impossible 151

Chapter 14 Close Encounters 163

Chapter 15 Eating with the Enemy 174

Chapter 16 What the Historian Saw 189

Chapter 17 Truth and Dare 201

Chapter 18 End Game 208

Part 4 The Failure of Empire

Chapter 19 Hearts and Minds 217

Chapter 20 The Bride of Attila 224

Chapter 21 Taking Sides 231

Chapter 22 The Fog of War 240

Chapter 23 The Last Retreat 253

Chapter 24 Endings 267

Epilogue: Reputations 280

Notes and Further Reading 293

Ancient Texts 327

Chronology, AD 375-455 331

Illustration Acknowledgments 334

Index 337

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