Review Traina 428 AD

Review: 428 AD: An Ordinary Year at the End of the Roman Empire by Giusto Traina (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Pp. xix, 203. Translation by Allan Cameron).
Giusto Traina's book: 428 AD: An Ordinary Year at the End of the Roman Empire takes the reader on a far flung journey across the Roman and Byzantine Empire. Although the book reads like a travel journal, it contains a wealth of information about the multicultural and geopolitical environment of the time. The title is somewhat misleading, because far from ordinary, 428 AD is full of change in the social, political, and religious make up of Rome, Ravenna, and Constantinople. The reader, like Traina begins to grasp that Rome was not a concept, but a still bustling society even if in decline in the West. Rome still mattered.
By using one year of time, Traina takes and unusual approach to ancient history. It allows him to control the time span and discuss a wide variety of topics, such as the Annexation of Armenia by the Persians, religious upheaval, and social change. He uses the narration as a means to get the reader to consider more closely historical causation and the simultaneity of time rather than a linear approach. He draws the reader into thinking about the issues that plagued Rome as a whole and that it's decline was gradual over time. (Traina, 428 AD, Preface) It becomes clearly evident that the only constant in this period is change.
In chapter one: "The Travels of Flavius Dionysius and the End of Armenia", Traina opens with the loss of Armenia, which he identifies as a main factor in the decline of Rome. He also goes into discussion about the political structure of the time over a wide portion of the Empire, and the complex relationship between war and diplomacy in the interactions between Ravenna, Rome, Constantinople, and Sassanid Persia. By beginning the book this way, he provides a refreshing approach to the study of late antiquity, which tended to be voluminous and linear. (Traina, 428 AD, Pp. 1-6).
In the second chapter: "The World of Nestorius", Traina tackles the complexity of religious diversity and intrigue. He uses the election of Nestorius as a major turning point in Christian relations within Constantinople and the hope of strengthening relations between Constantinople and Antioch. He describes the economic prosperity of Antioch, its multicultural aspects, and the church beginning to get involved in military affairs. He also discusses the saints, heresies, and some of the other religious ideas such as those of the Arians and Manicheans. All of this enhances Traina's overall goal of showing the diversity of the Empire. (Traina, 428 AD, Pp. 8-12).
The Pilgrim's Road takes the reader further West, but continues to discuss religious affairs and the means and ways of travel in the Empire. He uses the Itinerarium Burdigalense to aid to his description of travel. It discusses its stages and lengths of travel. However, he diverges from the simple travel aspects and delves into the warring tribes that were pushing into the Empire and the struggle to spread Christianity against Paganism. One such group that was provoked by mass migrations were the Isaurians. They were managing to maintain some autonomy from Rome and hold onto their paganism. He also explains that Christianity was fearful of some Christian ideologies such as Novatianism. They were considered threats to the cohesion of the Empire and the ability to blend Christianity within society. He also makes it clear that Nestorius was not exactly welcomed by all Christians. Again, Traina's point that the Roman Empire was full of different people and ideas emerges. (Traina, 428 AD, Pp. 19-24).
The next three chapters involve Rome (the old center of power and glory), Ravenna (the new city of power in Italy), and Constantinople (the new Rome in the East). Traina tells of the difference in ideology between Constantinople, the first Christian capital in the Roman Empire, and Rome in the West. Rome of the West was an emblem of the old Pagan ways of the Empire, and the Christians of Constantinople wanted to emphasize the new civilization it was building. Rome was still the seat of the Senate and some excellent schools, but the spiritual center had definitely shifted East. Also, Traina discusses the city of Ravenna gaining in influence and power over the old center of Rome which was still reeling from the attacks of the Visigoths. He uses the assassination of Pyrrhus to emphasize religious tensions throughout the region. Traina makes it clear that Rome was still relevant, but the Empire was undergoing massive changes. (Traina, 428 AD, Pp. 26-60)
One of the most interesting chapters is "Waiting for the Vandals". Traina uses this chapter as a way to indicate that there was peace before the great strife to come. Not only does he speak about the Vandal migration, but he indicates that 428 was the beginning of a type of civil war between Boniface. Gaiseric, and Aetius. Traina also indicates that Augustine completes his work on the major work The City of God. Traina leaves the reader with the impression that the Vandal invasion was the tipping point in the downfall of Rome. Although rife with instability, Rome plodded on still relevant as the literature would indicate. (Traina, 428 AD, Pp. 83-91)
The last chapter brings us back to the East and the Sassanid Persian Empire. Here Traina reiterates his idea that Rome was still an entity to be dealt with regardless of all the religious and social upheavals caused my mass migrations and Christianity. He revisits the loss of Armenia due to the pressures of trying to keep a unified front in the Empire. War with Persia was a real and ominous situation. The Roman Empire was already struggling to recuperate from all its previous set-backs. War would be a nail in the coffin. The issues of the Euphrates were causing concerns all over the Empire and in areas outside of it. Of course the Persians were eyeing the region for the same reason everyone else was. The Silk Road ran through it, which was immensely important to the wealth of the region. Strangely enough, Traina notes that the Christians would flee and seek asylum in Persia when they were persecuted. (Traina, 428 AD, Pp. 117-127)
As indicated by the chapter discussions, the Roman Empire was full of life and strife. It was pulled in multiple directions by mass migrations, paganism, Christianity, and military conflicts. The need for taxes exacerbated the problems, especially in the Western Empire, but although full of upheavals, Rome was still relevant and vibrant to its people. However, Traina leaves the reader wanting more from the book. It is unfortunate that it is so short and expects that the reader would already know something of late antiquity. The book also lacks a detailed bibliography which would have been immensely helpful to student historians and professionals alike. There are end notes, but these are not as easy to navigate. A serious problem for Traina is that he had to rely on the sources available from the time, which were extremely one sided and tend to favor the upper echelons of society. It provides a very skewed aspect to history. Also, his insistence on the use of one year, causes Traina to condense the amount of material he uses in the book. This also limits the student of history who is reading the book. Reference books are desirable in case the student wishes to explore something further.
Overall Traina's novel approach has rejuvenated the study of late antiquity. He allows us to see that the Roman Empire was a vibrant, bustling society, full of multiculturalism, language, and spirituality. It continued to be an important part of life for many years to come. The Roman people of the time didn't see themselves as we historians do now through the lens of history. The books strength is that it is absolutely easy to read and full of information to expand upon. It vividly brings about the massive geographical expanse of the time, which is also an important strength of the book. It doesn't necessarily rely upon arguments to prove the authors point. It will appeal to many different levels of reader from school age to the professional historian and it is definitely worth purchasing.





2

Tommie L. Stovall 1
History 5333
Dr. Rapp
September 21, 2015