decline and fall of the roman empire?

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire?

Introduction

• Oliver Stone: “You have to understand what it was like to be a Roman empire and to find some barbarian tribe riding into Rome in 476 A.D. It’s quite a shock.”

Introduction

• Oliver Stone: “You have to understand what it was like to be a Roman empire and to find some barbarian tribe riding into Rome in 476 A.D. It’s quite a shock.”

• 3 questions to complicate things– When did the Roman Empire Fall?– Why did the Roman Empire Fall?– Did the Roman Empire Fall?

When Did It Fall?

• What dates did you find?

When Did It Fall?

• What dates did you find?• Canonical Date: 476• Why did we do this exercise?

Why Did It Fall? An Overview

• A Big Question• What Theories Did You Find?

Why Did It Fall? An Overview

• A Big Question• What Theories Did You Find?– External Threat and Internal Weakness– Rise of Christianity– Barbarians– Economic Factors– Overexpansion– Inevitable Decline– Lead Poisoning– Immorality and Moral Degeneracy

Why Did It Fall? Internal Disintegration

• Forces of Internal Decay– End of Expansion– Ineffective/Contested Leadership– Economic Stagnation– Military Problems

Why Did It Fall? Internal Disintegration

• Forces of Internal Decay– End of Expansion– Ineffective/Contested Leadership– Economic Stagnation– Military Problems

• Gibbon’s Traditional Theory: Christianity

Why Did It Fall? Internal Disintegration

• Forces of Internal Decay– End of Expansion– Ineffective/Contested Leadership– Economic Stagnation– Military Problems

• Gibbon’s Traditional Theory: Christianity• Why the West?– Less Defensible– More Barbarized Army– Less Wealth

Why Did It Fall? Internal Disintegration

• Forces of Internal Decay• Gibbon’s Traditional Theory: Christianity• Why the West?• Depopulation– Evidence– Origins– Effects

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Who were the Barbarian Invaders?– Traditional Definition– These Barbarians– Myths about Barbarians• Myth: Enemies of Civilization• Myth: Suddenly Arrive• Myth: Hordes• Join ‘em don’t beat ‘em

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Who were the Barbarian Invaders?• Barbarizing the Roman Army

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Who were the Barbarian Invaders?• Barbarizing the Roman Army• Visigoths

Adrianople in 378

Vandals

Anglo-Saxons

Franks

Huns

Alemanni

Burgundians

Marcomanni

Lombards

Because of mistreatment by Roman officials, the Visigoths rebel and destroy an entire Roman army at Adrianople in 378.

378

VisigothsHadrianopleX

Anglo-Saxons

Franks

Visigoths

Marcomanni

In 410, the Visigoths sack Rome. At the same time, a general in Britain named Constantine declares himself emperor. The legions of Britain go with him, never to return. Declining revenues from the turmoil cause more legions to disband.

Vandals

Alemanni

BurgundiansLombards

409-410

Huns

Anglo-Saxons

Franks

Visigoths

Alemanni

Burgundians

Vandals

417

Marcomanni

Lombards

Huns

The Roman government makes a deal with the Visigoths, letting them settle in Gaul if they will destroy the Vandals. The Visigoths defeat the Vandals and drive them to the southern tip of Spain. Declining revenues from the turmoil cause more legions to disband.

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Who were the Barbarian Invaders?• Barbarizing the Roman Army• Visigoths• Attila the Hun

Anglo-Saxons

Franks

Visigoths

Alemanni

Burgundians

Vandals

417

Marcomanni

Lombards

Huns

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Who were the Barbarian Invaders?• Barbarizing the Roman Army• Visigoths• Attila the Hun• Vandals

Anglo-Saxons

Franks

Marcomanni

Huns

Alemanni

BurgundiansLombards

455-476

Visigoths

Ostrogoths

The Vandals in North Africa build a navy & raid across the Mediterranean, even sacking Rome in 455. By now Imperial defenses are virtually non-existent in the West as various tribes move in to claim territories for themselves. Meanwhile, emperors are rapidly set up & toppled as the empire comes crashing down. In 476, a Germanic general, Odovacer, replaces the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus & sets up his own kingdom of Italy.

Vandals

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Who were the Barbarian Invaders?• Barbarizing the Roman Army• Visigoths• Attila the Hun• Vandals• Odoacer

480 C.E.

By 480, the only remnant of Roman power in the West is that of the Gallo-Roman ruler, Syagrius. In 486, he will fall to the rising power of the Franks, thus removing the alst shred of Roman authority in the West.

500 C.E.

By 500 the Franks have eliminated the last vestige of Roman power in the West.

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Aftermath– Barbarian Kingdoms

Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure

• Aftermath– Barbarian Kingdoms– Transformation– Begs the question…

Did the Roman Empire Fall?

Did it Fall?

• Framework of Late Antiquity– Dominant Paradigm: Decline and Fall– New School: Upheaval and Transformation

Did it Fall?

• Framework of Late Antiquity (200-600)– Dominant Paradigm: Decline and Fall– New School: Upheaval and Transformation

• Vehicles for Continuity– Eastern Roman Empire!– Christian Church– Barbarians Themselves

Did it Fall?

• Framework of Late Antiquity (200-600)– Dominant Paradigm: Decline and Fall– New School: Upheaval and Transformation

• Vehicles for Continuity• Still, some kind of break– Catastrophists– Examples of Rupture– Prime Example: Fate of Rome

Population of Rome

• Vandals cut off Grain Supply• 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000

Population of Rome

• Vandals cut off Grain Supply• 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000• 310s: 600,000

Population of Rome

• Vandals cut off Grain Supply• 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000• 310s: 600,000• 419: 300,000-500,000

Population of Rome

• Vandals cut off Grain Supply• 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000• 310s: 600,000• 419: 300,000-500,000• 590: 150,000 Max

Population of Rome

• Vandals cut off Grain Supply• 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000• 310s: 600,000• 419: 300,000-500,000• 590: 150,000 Max• 800: 30,000 Max

Did it Fall?

• Framework of Late Antiquity (200-600)– Dominant Paradigm: Decline and Fall– New School: Upheaval and Transformation

• Vehicles for Continuity• Still, some kind of break• Value of Continuists• Split of Greco-Roman World