The Vandals
Rome's Germanic sackers
The Vandals were a Germanic people who migrated across Europe during the decline of the Roman Empire, eventually establishing a kingdom in North Africa in the fifth century.
They sacked Rome in 455 CE, and though their plundering was relatively restrained by historical standards, their name became synonymous with wanton destruction—giving us the common noun *vandal* for someone who deliberately damages property. (Lowercase vandal refers to a destroyer of property.)
- GothsEast Germanic tribal people
- barbariansUncivilized foreigners, historically
- RomeItaly's capital city
- Roman EmpireAncient state from Augustus onward
- sackRough fabric bag
pillage · destruction · Germanic · tribe · Carthage · Africa · raiders · looters · graffiti · spray can · spray paint · defacement · hooligans · thugs · smashing · wrecking · property damage · broken windows
The Vandalspreservationists
Advocates for protecting historical sites
conservators · builders · curators · restorers · creators
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