StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE The decline and fall of the Roman Empire was a process. The popular adage was that “Rome was not built in a day”. And so its fall did not occur in a day as well. There were a series of developments that collectively brought down the mighty empire…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.4% of users find it useful
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"

Download file to see previous pages

This gradual decline that eventually ended with the crumbling of the empire is widely debated by scholars and the events involved were comprehensively documented. This paper will cite some of the important reasons cited by these sources and in the process identify the most important and credible causation for the fall. Background The Roman Empire succeeded the Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization. In its early years, it has effectively expanded the dominion acquired by its predecessor.

By 98 AD, Emperor Trajan has dramatically extended the borders of the Empire, with the empire finally covering more than 6.5 million square miles of land, spanning the entire perimeter of the Mediterranean Sea, stretching as far north as Scotland, south to Arabia and east to Mesopotamia.1 This is the reason why the Roman Empire is considered to be one of the greatest to have ruled in history. The Romans considered themselves lords of the world and it seemed like it was actually true. As Marshall pointed out, “all the trade and skill, all the art and learning of the known world, were theirs,” and that “beyond the borders of the Roman Empire the world was given over to wild barbarians, who were skilled neither in the arts of war nor of peace.

2” Its decline and fall has been the subject of numerous academic discussions. There are those who identify that the Rome's descent to moral decay is the culprit as the Roman nobility engaged in excessive sensual pleasures and indulgences, which corrupted its society in the process. This is a popular theme in explaining the decline of other civilizations as well. In the discourse of the fall of the Roman Empire, Livy’s position is one of the commonly referenced. In the History of Rome, for instance, he wrote, “as disciplined gradually declined… then, sinking farther and farther, then beginning to fall precipitate, until he arrives at the present times, when our vices have attained to such height of enormity, that we can no longer endure either the burden of them, or the sharpness of the necessary remedies.

”3 But according to Ermatinger (2004), this school is always ill-argued because Rome has been self-indulgent since the middle Republic or as far back as 200 B.C.4 So if self-indulgence and immorality was the reason why it declined, why did Rome persisted and even flourished for several centuries more? Also one can always say that a previous society is morally corrupt but that all societies have this particular decadent aspect and, hence, it is just an easy but ineffectual argument to explain the fall of civilizations.

Then, there is also the claim that garnered a lot of interest during the 1970s, which argued that the decline of Rome can be attributed to lead poisoning after the government installed lead pipes for its water system. Romans were also reportedly have used lead tableware for their dining and drinking. But this claim remained unsubstantiated and eventually dispelled. According to Wells, for instance, Byzantium have endured several centuries more than Rome and that their water system may have been derived from the kind used in the Western Empire.

5 This point also supports the argument that Rome could have declined earlier since lead is indeed harmful to the brain and overall health. Lead pipes could have shown its adverse effect on the Roman population and could have tremendously shortened the lifespan of the Empire. Anthropologists have also found few quantities of lead in Roman

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Research Paper”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1398420-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-roman-empire
(The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Research Paper)
https://studentshare.org/history/1398420-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-roman-empire.
“The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Research Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1398420-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-roman-empire.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire/ the fall of roman

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire In 284 AD after several violent civil wars, this vast empire was divided into several parts.... decline and fall of the roman empire: Why did it collapse?... The Rise and fall of the roman empire by Please write your full name here Subject: Name of Professor: The Rise and fall of the roman empire Introduction The era of the Roman Empire extended from 800 BC to 500 AD.... The Rise and fall of the roman empire by Please write your full here The Rise and fall of the roman empire Introduction The era of the Roman Empire extended from 800 BC to 500 AD....
3 Pages (750 words) Research Paper

The Collapse of the Roman Empire

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire has remained a great challenge of the modern scientists and researchers.... Save Rome The collapse of the roman empire is an important historical landmark and it still draws attention of many scholars.... Save Rome The collapse of the roman empire is an important historical landmark and it still draws attention of many scholars.... Currently, prevention of the roman empire collapse may be a good lesson for the modern politicians....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Agora film review

The film Agora follows the philosopher Hypatia, a historical person portrayed in the film, through the process of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire near the end of the fourth century AD.... The film Agora follows the philosopher Hypatia, a historical person portrayed in the film, through the process of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire near the end of the fourth century AD.... This film displays The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as centering around one issue and almost entirely one issue: the rise of Christianity and its replacing traditional Paganism....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

The Roman Empire and its neighbors

Established under the reign of Augustus in 27 BC and lasting until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks… re than fourteen centuries later (this includes the Byzantium or Eastern Roman Empire), the following will provide a thorough yet concise description of the rise and the fall of the roman empire.... What explains the early development of the roman empire?... Such persons, however, were hasty to add that the slavery of the roman empire was preferable to any democracy or put other qualifications on their general line of thought (Starr 1952, 2)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Major Problems Arose for the Roman Empire

The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire....  In the essay “The Major Problems Arose for the roman empire” the author analyzes dramatic evolution and fall of numerous dynasties in the roman empire.... In short, during the first two centuries the roman empire experienced numerous tribulations.... In addition, civil wars and incessant communal rebellion tormented the empire to a great extent....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Fall of the Roman Empire and How It Relates to America Today

"fall of the roman empire and How It Relates to America Today" paper states that the Roman Empire concentrated so much on the conquering of more nations than on the welfare of people as well as America has spent a lot of their earned income in maintaining then military operations all over the world.... he fall of the roman empire is its gradual societal breakdown.... the roman empire was the worlds' greatest superpower of its time.... The Persian intrusion of the eastern empire, during the seventh century, further weakened the roman empire perilously....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

The Fall of Rome

the roman empire is probably the most significant and influential state formation of the Ancient history, being the largest state in Europe.... Having conquered the territory of the Black Sea region be the beginning of the 3rd century, the unions of Goths launched the military campaign against the roman empire.... … The decline of Rome began in the third century AD with splitting the Empire into two parts – Western roman empire and Eastern roman empire later renamed into Byzantine Empire with its capital located in Constantinople....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Why did Christianity become the religion of the Roman Empire

?The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.... The decline of the roman empire is in other regions like North America, it is connected to the rise of a dissenting form of Christianity.... In this paper, we will focus on the triumph of Christianity in the roman empire, which is dated back to the ancient times (Sheridan 187).... In this paper, we will focus on the triumph of Christianity in the roman empire, which is dated back to the ancient times (Sheridan 187)....
2 Pages (500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us