Alaric and his barbarian

Alaric and his barbarian Visigoth army stormed into Rome in August 410, sacking and looting the once-impregnable city and signaling the impending end of the Roman Empire.

 When word reached St. Jerome, he wrote, “My voice sticks in my throat, and, as I dictate, sobs choke me. The city which had taken the whole world was itself taken.” Rome would be sacked again, this time by the Vandals, before collapsing completely in 476, meeting the fate that eventually befalls all empires.

When Alaric and his army left Rome, loaded down with loot from the city and from their rampages across Europe, they headed south, intending to migrate into North Africa. But along the way Alaric fell ill, possibly from malaria. He died near the present-day southern Italian city Cosenza, at the age of somewhere between 35 and 40.

Upon his death, Alaric’s loyal followers proceeded to entomb him. Of course, as was befitting a chieftain of his status, Alaric would be buried with a great treasure hoard—enticing bait to grave robbers.

 So, to protect the gravesite, the Visigoths dammed and diverted the Busento River, placed Alaric’s body in a stone tomb twenty-five feet beneath the riverbed, then redirected the river back into its normal channel.

 According to contemporary accounts, inside the tomb along with Alaric’s body, the Visigoths left Roman treasures and up to 25 tons of gold. Once the project was finished, the Visigoths executed the slaves who had done the work, in order to keep secret the exact location of the tomb.

Throughout history, archeologists and treasure hunters have searched for Alaric and his treasure (estimated to have a value of greater than $1 billion in today’s money). Among those who have tried (and failed) to find the tomb are Alexander Dumas and Heinrich Himmler. 

In 2015, Cosenza officials launched a major initiative to find the tomb, using an international team of researchers and featuring ground-penetrating radar and other sophisticated techniques. But, alas, so far their efforts have been fruitless and Alaric and his treasure remain undisturbed.

The image is an 1895 illustration of the burial of Alaric by Heinrich Leutemann.