Rome's Gothic Wars
by Michael Kulikowski

List Price: $25.00 
Hardcover: 246 pages
ISBN: 0521846331
Publisher: Cambridge University Press 
Publish Date:  December 1, 2006 



New in Print 

In the sweltering August heat in the year 410 a famous barbarian general -- with a rock-dstar following and a turbulent relationship with the emporer -- stood assembled with his men outside the northern gates of Rome.  Alaric, the king of the Goths, was poised with his fanatical band of soldiers to sack the legendary city and change the centuries-long course of the Roman Empire forever.

In Rome's Gothic Wars (December 1, 2006; Cambridge University Press; $25) Michael Kulikowski adaptly retells this colorful and important period in ancient history.  Vividly portraying the events and constructing the characters in rich detail, Kulikowski successfully captures the tumultous last days of the late Empire and fully reveals the momentous impact the Goths had on Roman history.

Examining the full range of Gothic involvement in the Empire, beginning in the mid-third century, Kulikowski challenges many of the traditional views about the Goths and provides a well-reasoned and demystifying portrait, free from the romanticized baggage that the Goths have been saddled with for so long.

Rome's Gothic Wars is a breezy and animated, yet authoritative, look at this remarkable time in history and it's sure to be of interest to anybody with a taste for character-driven history.  Kuliokowski approaches his subject with both an admirable zeal and a level-headed coolness that makes this book both informative and fun.

About the Author

Michael Kulikowski is associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee.  He is a recipient of the Solmsen Fellowship and the author of Late Roman Spain and Its Cities, which was awarded an Honorable Mention in Classics and Archeology from the Association of American University Presses.  His articles have appeared in Early Medieval Europe, Britannia, Phoenix, and Byzantion and he has appeared on the History Channel's Barbarians series.