407 and All That: Retrospective

This short article examines the four preceding pieces, placing each in its own very particular historiographical and cultural context: Peter Heather’s “forensic” analysis, written to explain what really happened in 407; Mark Vessey’s elegant example of the “literary turn” and the world of cultural studies; Stefan Rebenich’s mining of an important historical source, done with all the care and integrity of the Germanic tradition; and Neil McLynn’s sharp exercise in source analysis, reminding more casual historians of the responsibilities that go with the use of texts.