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Message:: [QUOTE="Tejas, post: 4474944, member: 84905"]To correct the impression that this was a war where a civilized Roman army fought a host of uncivilized Gothic barbarian warriors. At the time, the Roman army consisted of large and usually decisive elements of tribal warriors who had joint the Roman forces as mercenaries and federate troops who expected to enrich themselves during the campaigns. Consequently, Procopius (History of the Wars) frequently complains that Justinian's Roman army plundered and murdered the Roman civilians in Italy, while at the same time frequently commending the civilized behaviour of the Goths and their commanders.  There are of course exceptions to this rule, but on the whole the East Romans and the Roman army were the true barbarians not the Goths. In fact, Totila/Baduila on several occasions offered peace from a position of strength in order to end the devastation of the Italian countryside and towns, but Justinian and his generals stubbornly refused. Eventually, Justinian won in 552, but various Gothic garisons held out until 560. In 568 Justinian lost Italy to his former allies the Langobards. At the end he had achieved the near complete destruction of Late Roman civilization in Italy and Dalmatia only to lose his spoils at the next best occasion.[/QUOTE]