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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.

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Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire?

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  1. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire?

  2. 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. 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?

  4. When Did It Fall? • What dates did you find?

  5. When Did It Fall? • What dates did you find? • Canonical Date: 476 • Why did we do this exercise?

  6. Why Did It Fall? An Overview • A Big Question • What Theories Did You Find?

  7. 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

  8. Why Did It Fall? Internal Disintegration • Forces of Internal Decay • End of Expansion • Ineffective/Contested Leadership • Economic Stagnation • Military Problems

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. Why Did It Fall? Internal Disintegration • Forces of Internal Decay • Gibbon’s Traditional Theory: Christianity • Why the West? • Depopulation • Evidence • Origins • Effects

  12. 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

  13. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Who were the Barbarian Invaders? • Barbarizing the Roman Army

  14. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Who were the Barbarian Invaders? • Barbarizing the Roman Army • Visigoths Adrianople in 378

  15. Because of mistreatment by Roman officials, the Visigoths rebel and destroy an entire Roman army at Adrianople in 378. 378 Anglo-Saxons Lombards Franks Vandals Burgundians Alemanni Marcomanni Huns Visigoths Hadrianople X

  16. 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. Huns 409-410 Anglo-Saxons Lombards Burgundians Franks Alemanni Marcomanni Vandals Visigoths

  17. 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. 417 Anglo-Saxons Lombards Burgundians Franks Alemanni Marcomanni Visigoths Vandals

  18. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Who were the Barbarian Invaders? • Barbarizing the Roman Army • Visigoths • Attila the Hun

  19. Huns 417 Anglo-Saxons Lombards Burgundians Franks Alemanni Marcomanni Visigoths Vandals

  20. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Who were the Barbarian Invaders? • Barbarizing the Roman Army • Visigoths • Attila the Hun • Vandals

  21. 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. 455-476 Anglo-Saxons Lombards Burgundians Franks Marcomanni Alemanni Huns Ostrogoths Visigoths Vandals

  22. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Who were the Barbarian Invaders? • Barbarizing the Roman Army • Visigoths • Attila the Hun • Vandals • Odoacer

  23. 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. 480 C.E.

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

  25. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Aftermath • Barbarian Kingdoms

  26. Why Did It Fall? Barbarian Pressure • Aftermath • Barbarian Kingdoms • Transformation • Begs the question…

  27. Did the Roman Empire Fall?

  28. Did it Fall? • Framework of Late Antiquity • Dominant Paradigm: Decline and Fall • New School: Upheaval and Transformation

  29. 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

  30. 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

  31. Population of Rome • Vandals cut off Grain Supply • 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000

  32. Population of Rome • Vandals cut off Grain Supply • 5 BC: 800,000-1,000,000 • 310s: 600,000

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

  34. 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

  35. 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

  36. 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

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