The Sack of Rome

## The Unthinkable Happens On August 24, 410 CE, the impossible became reality. For the first time in nearly 800 years, Rome – the Eternal City, the heart of the mightiest empire the world had ever known – fell to foreign invaders. As dawn broke over the seven hills, the massive Salarian Gate creaked open, allegedly betrayed from within by a slave. Through this ancient portal poured thousands of Gothic warriors led by their king, Alaric I, their weapons glinting in the early morning light. The citizens of Rome awoke to scenes of unimaginable horror. Smoke rose from burning buildings as Gothic warriors rampaged through the streets. The wealthy patricians, who had long lived in marble-clad luxury, found their villas ransacked. In the Forum Romanum, centuries of accumulated treasures were stripped from temples and public buildings. The great city that had once ruled from Britain to Egypt was now being systematically plundered. In her palatial home on the Caelian Hill, the noble widow A...