This book provides a new interpretation of the fall of the Roman Empire and the 'barbarian' kingdom known conventionally as Ostrogothic Italy. Relying primarily on Italian textual and material evidence, and in particular the works of Cassiodorus and Ennodius, Jonathan J. Arnold argues that contemporary Italo-Romans viewed the Ostrogothic kingdom as the Western Roman Empire and its 'barbarian' king, Theoderic (r.489/93–526), as its emperor. Investigating conceptions of Romanness, Arnold explains how the Roman past, both immediate and distant, allowed Theoderic and his Goths to find acceptance in Italy as Romans, with roles essential to the Empire's perceived recovery. Theoderic and the Roman Imperial Restoration demonstrates how Theoderic's careful attention to imperial traditions, good governance, and reconquest followed by the re-Romanization of lost imperial territories contributed to contemporary sentiments of imperial resurgence and a golden age. There was no need for Justinian to restore the Western Empire: Theoderic had already done so.

'This volume is a valuable contribution to our understanding of Ostrogothic Italy and its place in the historiography of the Roman and post-Roman west. Thoughtful and engaging, Arnold presents the history of Ostrogothic Italy as it was understood in the fifth and early sixth centuries rather than through categories and assumptions imposed upon the period by modern historians.'

Samuel Cohen Source: The Classical Review

'The book is endlessly fascinating and an artful exercise in high-quality historical writing and research.'

Charles N. Aull Source: The Medieval Review

'… [a] stimulating study.'

Source: The Medieval History Journal

'Theoderic and the Imperial Restoration offers an insightful and engaging history of Ostrogothic Italy as it was understood, and to some extent imagined, by those who experienced it first hand. As an analysis not only of the sources themselves but also of the politics of Italy during a periodof unprecedented change (even if such change is minimized by the sources), Arnold’s book is a valuable contribution to our understanding of Ostrogothic Italy and its place within the historiography of late antiquity.'

Sean W. Lafferty Source: Early Medieval Europe