On the Spot: Michelle Renee Salzman
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That Rome “fell” because of the barbarians.’
Why are you a historian of Late Antiquity?
I was drawn to it by a late Roman calendar, filled with pagan holidays and rituals, but dated 40 years after the emperor Constantine had converted to Christianity.
What’s the most important lesson history has taught you?
Nothing is inevitable. Choices matter. If Maxentius had remained within the gates of Rome in 312 AD, he may well have defeated Constantine.
Which history book has had the greatest influence on you?
Peter Brown’s The World of Late Antiquity.
What book in your field should everyone read?
Kyle Harper’s The Fate of Rome. I do not, however, agree with all of his interpretations.
Which moment would you most like to go back to?
Rome, 315 AD. What was it like when Constantine returned after a civil war to receive the very pagan Arch of Constantine?
Which historian has had the greatest influence on you?
Peter Brown.
Which person in history would you most like to have met?
Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. I wonder if he had a sense of humour.
How many languages do you have?
Ancient Greek and Latin; modern French, Italian, German, and English. I only read Hebrew letters so I do not count that.
What historical topic have you changed your mind on?
I now think the emperor Domitian was not nearly as bad as the senators Tacitus and Pliny would like us to believe.
What’s the most exciting field in history today?
The study of Late Antiquity.
What is the most common misconception about your field?
That Rome ‘fell’ because of the barbarians.
Who is the most underrated person in history…
Petronius Maximus, the senator most likely responsible for inciting Valentinian III to kill the general Aetius in 454.
… and the most overrated?
Attila the Hun. The impact of his attacks was greatly exaggerated by Christian writers.
Is there an important historical text you have not read?
Basil’s letters.
What’s your favourite archive?
The city of Rome.
What’s the best museum?
The Capitoline Museum.
What technology has changed the world the most?
The internet.
Recommend us a historical novel...
Gore Vidal’s Julian.
... and a historical drama?
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
You can solve one historical mystery. What is it?
Why did Constantine adopt Christianity as his personal religion?
Michele Renee Salzman is Distinguished Professor of History at the University of California, Riverside. Her latest book is The Falls of Rome: Crises, Resilience, and Resurgence in Late Antiquity (Cambridge University Press, 2021).
