RAVENNA THE SECOND ROME
How did this mysterious city in north-east Italy become the jewel of the Western Roman Empire?
TThe epicentre of great battles, the home of emperors and kings – the city of Ravenna was the beating heart of the Western Roman Empire under the rule of Theodoric the Great and an important centre of the Byzantine Empire. Today, its picturesque mosaics and famous basilicas have made the city a haven for tourists rather than royalty. Situated in the Emilia-romagna region of Italy, on the northeastern coast and with eight UNESCO world heritage sites, its rich history dates back to the time of Julius Caesar and beyond.
In 402 CE, as Milan was besieged, it was selected by Emperor Honorius as the new capital of the Western Roman Empire, and a little over a century later would become a jewel in the crown of the Byzantine Empire. Very little is known about Ravenna’s origins and it seems they were a mystery even to the Greeks and Romans, but thankfully we have historian Judith Herrin, the author of Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe to guide us through. She has done extensive research into this unique ancient city, with her book recently earning a nomination for the Wolfson History Prize, and her connection to it dates back to her younger years. “I was a rather grumpy teenager and was not very impressed, but I do remember that it had beautiful mosaics,” she recalls of her first visit. Thankfully her fascination with Ravenna grew and her interest in the city’s past developed: “I did realise, going back later, that there was something unexplained about some of these mosaics. Why were the emperor Justantine and empress Theodora, who barely left Constantinople, being commemorated in Ravenna? There aren’t any portraits of Justinian or Theodora in Rome, and there aren’t any that survived in Constantinople. That got me interested in the city, and then I began to realise what a significant role it played in the development of the West.” The role of the city in Justinian’s empire cannot be understated, but Ravenna’s history begins far earlier and is rich with colourful characters and vibrant culture.
From around 1400 BCE the city was occupied first by the Etruscians and then the Gauls, but stories of a settlement in the area date back even further. Ancient historians Strabo, Ptolemy and Pliny the Elder all gave differing accounts of who founded the city. Each attribute it to the Thessalians, Umbrians and Sabines, with Pliny even describing it as having been a “town of the Celtic Boil”. However, it is certain that the Roman occupation of the region dates back to the third century BCE. “We know that it was a Roman city, typical of most Roman settlements in that it was laid out on a square plan,” Herrin explains. “And it had basic facilities, temples, a city council and all the normal things that Roman cities had.” One of the best surviving accounts of this early period in Ravenna’s history comes from the Greek geographer Strabo, who would visit the city and describe it vividly. “Situated in the marshes is the great [city of] Ravenna,” he recorded, “built entirely on piles, and traversed by canals, which you cross by bridges or ferry-boats.” However, Ravenna was soon to be set apart from other Roman settlements and become an important strategic location. “The key thing about this city was that it was right on the coast,” Herrin explains. “Julius Caesar decided to build a large harbour, which was constructed by digging out a lagoon and establishing a bay, where 250 ships could be sheltered. He made this the base for the Romans’ Eastern Mediterranean Navy.” As well as having numerous ships and the chief of the navy located there, Ravenna also became something of a centre for business and trade. “A lot of industries that were connected with the navy shipbuilding – sailmaking, anchors, rope makers etc – were based there,” Herrin continues. “They had houses in Ravenna and they spent their money there and so because of the naval connection it became quite a busy city.”
It was much later, in 402 CE, that this important harbour city would find itself chosen as the new capital of the Roman Empire. “The Roman Emperor Honorius, who ruled from Milan, had inherited the position as a young boy and was very much under the influence of his general
commander, Flavius Stilicho,” says Herrin. “When in the early fifth century the Goths threatened to invade, the emperor felt that the city walls were so large they couldn’t possibly defend the land, and therefore they needed to look for a safer place.” With the capital of Milan about to be abandoned to the Goths, Ravenna was chosen as the new centre of Honorius’s Western Roman Empire. “It was viewed as safe, partly because it was well fortified and it had this very important port attached to it,” says Herrin. “It was situated in the river delta, in a very marshy swampy land, which made it difficult for any enemy armies to attack.” His decision made, the emperor travelled (most likely by river) from Milan with his entire court toward Ravenna. Upon arrival, Honorius immediately began a large number of constructions to house his troops, court and provide all the luxuries befitting a young emperor.
Soon, the monuments and impressive buildings would be what Ravenna would become known for and many remain popular tourist attractions today. Not all of these imposing structures arrived with the new emperor, however. “From what we understand, there were monuments in the city that had been decorated by local artists for centuries,” Herrin says. “There are the most beautiful sarcophagus, these huge stone tombs in which people were buried, and exquisite carved tombstones. The city walls as well were all built prehonorius and were constructed of local brick and filled with rubble, resulting in a formidable defence.” However, upon Honorius’s arrival, a huge expansion took place in order to transform the established harbour settlement into the ‘new Rome’. “As soon as the news of the Imperial
Court arriving came to the city, a large cohort of people were ready to build and decorate the buildings with marble inlaid floors and mosaics,” says Herrin. “Honorius probably brought with him from Milan a large number of craftsmen who followed the imperial court, because that’s where the money was. Honorius set about commissioning all the new things that he wished for, presumably a very substantial palace for himself, possibly accommodation for all his senior courtiers and barracks for all the soldiers.” The expansion initiated by Honorius was vast and new bridges across the many rivers, as well as new fortifications around the harbour at Classis, were most likely built during this period. Perhaps most remarkably a number of these buildings have survived and have since been excavated, for example the Mint. “The Mint seems to have been functioning by the end of 402,” Herrin reveals. “It was one mint for the gold coins and another mint for the bronze, and some silver.”
One of the more interesting figures in the city during this period and one who is featured prominently in Herrin’s study is Galla Placida, the daughter of Theodosius I and the wife of Constantius III. “She was officially orphaned at around three or four years old and was sent to live with her brother, most likely in Ravenna,” Herrin says. “It’s clear that she was very familiar with Rome and had a very traditional imperial upbringing. She would have learned Greek and Latin as well as all the things that women had to learn, mainly weaving, making clothes, embroidery, sewing, etc.” However, Placidia’s life was about to take a terrifying turn when in 410, at the age of 22 she was kidnapped by the Goths during the second sacking of Rome. Herrin explains: “She must have been a very honoured prisoner because she was an imperial princess and therefore a very