Bryan Ward-Perkins

Bryan Ward-Perkins (Ph.D., Oxford University) is a fellow and tutor in history at Trinity College, Oxford. He is the author of The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization (OUP, 2005) and co-editor of The Last Statues of Antiquity (OUP, 2016) and volume XIV of The Cambridge Ancient History (CUP, 2001).

Can you think of a particularly intriguing work of art that illustrates something important about the fall of Rome?

The work of art I have chosen is an ivory diptych (two small ivory plaques hinged so they can be folded shut). It was probably made in Italy in around AD 395 for Stilicho, the commander of the Roman army in the West, and represents him, his wife Serena, and their son Eucherius.  Stilicho was a 'barbarian', in other words a man from outside the Roman empire, and we would therefore expect him to be an enemy of Rome. But, as this diptych shows, the situation towards the end of the empire was complicated: many 'barbarians' fought in Roman service, appreciating the pay and status this gave them, and some, like Stilicho, rose very high in that service. Serena, his wife, was the niece of an emperor - by marrying her Stilicho became part of the imperial family. The fall of the Roman empire in the West was not a straightforward war between 'Romans' on one side, and 'barbarians' on the other. Here we see the 'barbarian' Stilicho proudly depicted as Rome's main defender against other barbarians.

Diptych of Stilicho from Monza

 What is the most unusual relic you have read about in your research on the “cult of the saints”?

This is probably the skull of a very obscure saint called Theodota, which a pilgrim saw and described in Jerusalem at the end of the sixth century. The pilgrim wrote that it was decorated with gold and gems and that people drank from it to gain a blessing!

 

Who is the best teacher you’ve ever had, and what did you learn from them?

The best teacher I had was at school. He was called Mark Stephenson. Mr Stephenson immediately saw through one if one wasn't well prepared, and he did not tolerate badly written work. He was therefore scary! But he worked extremely hard to improve us, and he gained every pupil's respect. He taught me to love well-written history, to argue a case concisely, and to write good clear English.