In 378 AD, the Roman Empire had been the unrivaled superpower of Europe for well over 400 years. And yet, August that year saw a small group of German-speaking, asylum-seekers rout a vast Imperial army at Hadrianople, killing the Emperor and establishing themselves on Roman territory. Within a hundred years the last Emperor of the Western Empire had been deposed. What had gone wrong? In this ground breaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution to one of the greatest mysteries of history. Mixing authoritative analysis with thrilling narrative, he brings fresh insight into the panorama of the empires end, from the bejeweled splendour of the imperial court to the dripping forests of Barbaricum. He examines the extraordinary success story ofthe Roman Empire and uses a new understanding of its continued strength and enduring limitations to show how Europes barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome, eventually pulled it apart.