Abstract

This paper intends to focus on the negative judgement of the Vandals expressed both by contemporaries and in later centuries. To be sure, as a result of the conquest of Carthage in 439 and the occupation of the richest lands in Late Roman Africa, the Vandals dealt a lethal blow to the survival of the Western Roman Empire. And yet, such a negative portrayal of their character and accusations of senseless brutality that are already present in 5th century historiography should be considered as exaggerated. The bad reputation was greatly amplified when the term vandalisme was coined during the French Revolution. Furthermore, negative characteristics were attributed to the Vandals even by German historiography and culture during the 19th and 20th centuries. In recent years, the bad reputation and marginality attributed to the Vandals have been partly overcome through a research approach emphasizing their ability to maintain the prosperity and cultural splendour of Late Antique Africa under their rule.