About the year AD 448, the Eastern Roman Emperor, Theodosius II, sent an embassy to Attila the Hun who had been threatening both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Accompanying this embassy was a teacher of rhetoric named Priscus of Panion. Later, Priscus would become a historian and record several famous episodes that occurred during this diplomatic mission.
Written in Greek, Priscus's History would be lost, but modern scholars have been able to piece much of it back together. The "Fragmentary History of Priscus: Attila, the Huns, and the Roman Empire, AD 430-476," translated by John Given, provides much of what has been recovered, including Priscus's adventures among the Huns. More information about the English translation of this work may be found here: [ Ссылка ]
Works of art depicted in this video include:
0:25 - Detail of a 16th century watercolor of the base of the Obelisk of Theodosius (5th century) in Constantinople.
1:07 - Detail from a 19th century painting entitled The Feast of Attila, by Mor Than.
1:36 - Detail from a 19th century painting entitled Feast of Attila, by Ede Heinrich.
1:49 - The Skull Tower of Nis in modern-day Serbia. In antiquity, Nis was called Naissus, a town which was destroyed by Attila. The Skull Tower was constructed in the 19th century.
2:06 - Detail from a 16th century watercolor of the reliefs on the now lost column of Arcadius (5th century) in Constantinople.
2:59 - Detail from a 19th century painting entitled The Feast of Attila, by Mor Than.
3:57 - Early 20th century print of the Huns sacking a Roman Villa in Gaul.
4:38 - Late 19th century print of a group of Huns.
5:27 - Late 19th century print of a Hunnic Feast at the time of Attila.
6:41 - Detail from a 19th century painting entitled The Feast of Attila, by Mor Than.
7:25 - Painting of the Roman Embassy to Attila by Cecila Lawrence as featured on the cover of the Fragmentary History of Priscus by John Given.
Aside from the Roman Embassy to Attila which appears on the cover our our book, we claim no rights to the artworks and photos listed above.
