The essays collected in this book present the first comprehensive appreciation of The Fall of the Roman Empire from historical, historiographical, and cinematic perspectives. The book also provides the principal classical sources on the period.

List of Illustrations vii Notes on Contributors ix Editor's Preface xii 1. A Critical Appreciation of The Fall of the Roman Empire 1Martin M. Winkler 2. History, Ancient and Modern, in The Fall of the Roman Empire 51Allen M. Ward 3. Marcus Aurelius: The Empire Over Himself 89Diskin Clay 4. Was Commodus Really That Bad? 102Eleonora Cavallini 5. East and West in The Fall of the Roman Empire 117Jan Willem Drijvers 6. Empire Demolition 130Anthony Mann 7. Excerpts from the American Souvenir Program of The Fall of the Roman Empire 136 1. A Prologue by Will Durant 137 2. The Roman Forum: In Ruins Today . . . and Re-Created 139 3. An Epilogue 143 8. Edward Gibbon and The Fall of the Roman Empire 145Martin M. Winkler 9. Fact, Fiction, and the Feeling of History 174Martin M. Winkler 10. Peace and Power in The Fall of the Roman Empire 225Ward W. Briggs, Jr. 11. The Politics of The Fall of the Roman Empire 241Peter W. Rose 12. Excerpts from Edward Gibbon 262 1. Marcus Aurelius and His Time 262 2. The Auction of the Empire 266 The Chief Ancient Sources on Marcus Aurelius 271 1. Cassius Dio 271 2. The Augustan History: Marcus Antoninus the Philosopher 282 3. Herodian 298 Chronology: The Roman Empire at the Time of Marcus Aurelius 302 Bibliography 305 Index 327

For over a century, epic cinema has significantly shaped popular interest in Roman history and culture. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), the last of the silver-screen epics about ancient Rome before Gladiator, stands out as the only epic that attempted, and largely succeeded, to show the greatness of Roman civilization rather than to condemn it for luxury, debauchery, religious persecution, and imperialism. The essays collected in this book present the first comprehensive appreciation of The Fall of the Roman Empire from historical, historiographical, and cinematic perspectives. The book also provides the principal classical sources on the period. It is a companion to Gladiator: Film and History (Blackwell, 2004) and Spartacus: Film and History (Blackwell, 2007) and completes a triad of scholarly studies on Hollywood’s greatest films about Roman history.

"Useful perspectives and controversial points of discussion." (Scholia Reviews, 2009) “A comprehensive treatment of an underappreciated film from a variety of critical perspectives” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2010) “After reading the book, I reviewed The Fall of the Roman Empire, this time better informed about the director, the history (Roman and cinematic), the political and social issues of the day, details about production, comparison with contemporary and later films, and much more. Viewing the film from this expansive vantage point made for a rich experience.” (Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, July 2011)

"Martin Winkler has assembled a collection of vigorous and highly readable essays by noted classicists and film scholars featuring topics from the representation of Roman history onscreen to the contemporary extra-cinematic discourse about Mann’s film. This volume offers a compelling and much-needed critical re-evaluation of one of the most controversial epic films ever made." --Monica S. Cyrino, University of New Mexico and the author of Big Screen Rome "Winkler's expertise and enthusiasm shape an illuminating and accessible collection of source materials, documents and essays on the 1960s film that helped put ancient Rome back into cinemas in the 21st century." --Maria Wyke, University College London

List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Editor?s Preface 1. A Critical Appreciation of The Fall of the Roman Empire: Martin M. Winkler (George Mason University) 2. History, Ancient and Modern, in The Fall of the Roman Empire: Allen M. Ward (the University of Connecticut) 3. Marcus Aurelius: The Empire Over Himself: Diskin Clay (Duke University) 4. Was Commodus Really That Bad?: Eleonora Cavallini (Bologna University) 5. East and West in The Fall of the Roman Empire: Jan Willem Drijvers (the University of Groningen) 6. Empire Demolition: Anthony Mann 7. Excerpts from the American Souvenir Program of The Fall of the Roman Empire 8. Edward Gibbon and The Fall of the Roman Empire: Martin M. Winkler (George Mason University) 9. Fact, Fiction, and the Feeling of History: Martin M. Winkler (George Mason University) 10. Peace and Power in The Fall of the Roman Empire: Ward W. Briggs, Jr. (the University of South Carolina) 11. The Politics of The Fall of the Roman Empire: Peter W. Rose (Miami University) 12. Excerpts from Edward Gibbon Chronology: The Roman Empire at the Time of Marcus Aurelius Bibliography Index