Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

odoacer and theoderic (476,526) 531
ingly disparate groups. 26 In Italy, he displayed this flair to its greatest
extent, creating what, for at least one chronicler, could be seen as a golden
age of peace and prosperity. 27
First, the Goths. Much modern study of Theoderic’s authority over his
Gothic followers has been misled by the elaborate Amal genealogy
worked out by Cassiodorus and reflected in Jordanes’ Getica. While the
construction of such a lineage gave Theoderic’s rule a firm ideological
underpinning, the maintenance of his leadership mainly depended, as it
always had done, on his accomplishments as a warrior. In this respect,
Theoderic had shown his skill by the series of campaigns culminating in
the conquest of Italy. Thereafter, successful campaigns in Dalmatia, the
Rhaetian Alps and southern Gaul, which led to the enlargement of the
Ostrogothic kingdom, helped preserve the image of Theoderic as a successful
military leader. 28
As well as seeing Theoderic as a triumphant warrior, the Goths looked
to their king for other benefits. The army which had invaded Italy was
perhaps as large as 25,000; together with its dependants, this means a very
large Gothic population demanding sustenance. While some have argued
that Theoderic sought to maintain this contingent purely through the
mechanism of tax allocations, it is hard to image such a large Gothic population
entering Italy without receiving land to settle. 29 There would certainly
have been garrisons in major cities such as Rome and in frontier
zones such as the Julian Alps. Gothic settlement was more extensive than
this: archaeological, literary and toponomastic evidence points to the presence
of Goths scattered throughout Italy, with notable concentrations
around Ravenna, in the upper Po valley and above all in Picenum. 30 As well
as being their source of land, Theoderic was the fount of justice and patronage.
That legal redress and political and social advancement depended
on Theoderic helped to cement his authority throughout his long reign. 31
The majority of Theoderic’s subjects were the Roman inhabitants of
Italy, and his ultimate success in consolidating his kingdom would depend
on his ability to integrate them. Like Odoacer, he relied heavily on local
élites as the backbone of his administration. When his kingdom expanded
into southern Gaul and Dalmatia, he exploited the existing links that the
north Italian aristocracy had with those regions. 32 He was conscious, too,
of his image as ruler. He could be clement: coming as an Arian Goth to
a largely Catholic Italy, he never gained a reputation as a persecutor, in
marked contrast to his Vandal co-religionists in Africa. 33 Moreover, he
26 Heather, Goths and Romans 320–3. 27 Anon. Val. 12.59–62; cf. Jahn (1989).
28 Heather (1995) 145–52; Heather (1996) 230–5.
29 Barnish (1986) contra Goffart, Barbarians and Romans 58–102.
30 Esp. Bierbrauer (1975); cf. Battisti (1956). 31 Heather (1995) 158–65.
32 Barnwell (1992) 155–65; Barnish (1988) 134–5. 33 Moorhead (1992) 89–97.
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