Friday, May 14, 2010
Why rome fell
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Rome's Decline and Disintegration
The chapter “Rome’s Decline and Disintegration” in the book From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome by Dan Nardo describes the main reasons why Rome fell. It outlines certain causes like the size of the empire, Christianity, and weaknesses in the army. Rome’s decline began when barbaric tribes like the Huns and Visigoths began invading parts of the Roman Empire in 378. These tribal people were described by the Roman historian, Ammianus Marcellinus, as “abnormally savage”. These barbarians swept across different parts of the empire due largely to a weak army. After a harsh defeat at Adrianople, the Roman military became smaller in size and those that were replacements were normally less disciplined. Also, the army was not seen as a patriotic endeavor anymore because many Christians said it was against their religion. Nardo describes this by saying, “Many young men used whatever means necessary to avoid service; some went as far as to cut off their own thumbs.” (Nardo 98). These are the reasons that the Roman Empire began to decline in the late 300s into the early 400s.
This chapter talks about how barbarism was a key factor in the decline of the Roman Empire. I agree with this because the Romans not only were being attacked from every part of the empire by barbarians, but were also beginning to use them in their own armies. The Roman military began to disown its traditional values and take in these tribes as a part of the army. Although it served as a good strategy for fighting off these barbaric tribes for a while, it soon brought about much trouble because these tribal people couldn’t be trusted. It was for reasons like this that the Roman army began to lose its patriotic status. After barbarism surrounded the military all hope was lost for the empire to stand.
Nardo, Don. “Rome’s Decline and Disintegration.” From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome. Lucent Books: Farmington Hills, 2003. 93-109. Print.
This chapter talks about how barbarism was a key factor in the decline of the Roman Empire. I agree with this because the Romans not only were being attacked from every part of the empire by barbarians, but were also beginning to use them in their own armies. The Roman military began to disown its traditional values and take in these tribes as a part of the army. Although it served as a good strategy for fighting off these barbaric tribes for a while, it soon brought about much trouble because these tribal people couldn’t be trusted. It was for reasons like this that the Roman army began to lose its patriotic status. After barbarism surrounded the military all hope was lost for the empire to stand.
Nardo, Don. “Rome’s Decline and Disintegration.” From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome. Lucent Books: Farmington Hills, 2003. 93-109. Print.
The Fall of Rome- End of Roman Empire
The article “Fall of Rome- End of the Roman Empire” by N.S. Gill not only discusses the reasons why the empire fell, but also the exact time when it fell. The article says that there are two dates when Rome could have fell; first in 1453 when the Ottoman Turks took over Constantinople or in 476 when Odoacer, a Germanic leader in the Roman army, conquered the Western empire. Since Rome became so large it was split into two sections the Eastern and Western Roman empires, and that is where the controversy begins with when and why Rome fell. Odoacer conquered the western empire and was the first barbarian king of the Western empire therefore technically ending part of the empire. Gill claims, “While this bloodless coup in 476 is a frequently accepted date for the Fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was not, at the time, a major turning point.” (Gill). This is one of the major controversies over why Rome fell which actually lies in the question when Rome fell.
I believe that the true end to the Roman Empire was in 476 when the barbarians like Odoacer began to take over the Roman Empire. Although the Eastern Empire remained for many more years I don’t truly see it as Roman because the heart of the Empire was in Rome which was in the Western Empire. Also after Odoacer took over many of the same Roman customs and rituals were no longer practiced in the Eastern or Western Empires. I believe that after the barbarians began to run the Empire it could truly no longer be called the Roman Empire.
Gill, N.S. "Fall of Rome- End of the Roman Empire." Ancient Classical History n. pag. Web. 31 Mar 2010.
I believe that the true end to the Roman Empire was in 476 when the barbarians like Odoacer began to take over the Roman Empire. Although the Eastern Empire remained for many more years I don’t truly see it as Roman because the heart of the Empire was in Rome which was in the Western Empire. Also after Odoacer took over many of the same Roman customs and rituals were no longer practiced in the Eastern or Western Empires. I believe that after the barbarians began to run the Empire it could truly no longer be called the Roman Empire.
Gill, N.S. "Fall of Rome- End of the Roman Empire." Ancient Classical History n. pag. Web. 31 Mar 2010.
Rome's Decline and Disintegration
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The chapter “Rome’s Decline and Disintegration” in the book From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome by Dan Nardo describes the main reasons why Rome fell. It outlines certain causes like the size of the empire, Christianity, and weaknesses in the army. Rome’s decline began when barbaric tribes like the Huns and Visigoths began invading parts of the Roman Empire in 378. These tribal people were described by the Roman historian, Ammianus Marcellinus, as “abnormally savage”. These barbarians swept across different parts of the empire due largely to a weak army. After a harsh defeat at Adrianople, the Roman military became smaller in size and those that were replacements were normally less disciplined. Also, the army was not seen as a patriotic endeavor anymore because many Christians said it was against their religion. Nardo describes this by saying, “Many young men used whatever means necessary to avoid service; some went as far as to cut off their own thumbs.” (Nardo 98). These are the reasons that the Roman Empire began to decline in the late 300s into the early 400s.
This chapter talks about how barbarism was a key factor in the decline of the Roman Empire. I agree with this because the Romans not only were being attacked from every part of the empire by barbarians, but were also beginning to use them in their own armies. The Roman military began to disown its traditional values and take in these tribes as a part of the army. Although it served as a good strategy for fighting off these barbaric tribes for a while, it soon brought about much trouble because these tribal people couldn’t be trusted. It was for reasons like this that the Roman army began to lose its patriotic status. After barbarism surrounded the military all hope was lost for the empire to stand.
Nardo, Don. “Rome’s Decline and Disintegration.” From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome. Lucent Books: Farmington Hills, 2003. 93-109. Print.
This chapter talks about how barbarism was a key factor in the decline of the Roman Empire. I agree with this because the Romans not only were being attacked from every part of the empire by barbarians, but were also beginning to use them in their own armies. The Roman military began to disown its traditional values and take in these tribes as a part of the army. Although it served as a good strategy for fighting off these barbaric tribes for a while, it soon brought about much trouble because these tribal people couldn’t be trusted. It was for reasons like this that the Roman army began to lose its patriotic status. After barbarism surrounded the military all hope was lost for the empire to stand.
Nardo, Don. “Rome’s Decline and Disintegration.” From Founding to Fall: A History of Rome. Lucent Books: Farmington Hills, 2003. 93-109. Print.
Stephen Sansom Interview
I interviewed Mr. Stephen Sansom, Latin and classics teacher, on the reasons that the Roman Empire fell. Sansom gave two main reasons for the fall of Rome: the economic system was based on solely conquering lands for expansion and the stealing of resources and slaves from foreign tribes. He said, “When Romans were no longer able to conquer foreign lands, their entire economic system collapsed because of the like of resources, funding, and slaves.” (Sansom). Romans were very intuitive and technologically advanced therefore they were able to exploit the resources of foreign lands in many useful ways. They used the ideas of the Etruscans to build arches and invented structures like the aqueducts and roads. However, when Rome could no longer take advantage foreign people and land they ran out of resources and manpower, slaves, to do the jobs necessary to the empire. Sansom also claims the barbarians and their ability to make allies helped them take over the western empire. Overall, Stephen Sansom believes the reason Rome fell was due to their lack of conquering new lands which hurt their economic system through resources, money, and slaves.
I thought this interview was very valuable because I was able to learn new things not only about the fall of Rome itself, but also about the Roman Empire as a whole which helped me understand better why it fell. Mr. Sansom provided me with multiple book sources that would help me further understand this topic. I learned about the tribes that Rome conquered and the things that Rome was able to take away from them. He also talked about the reasons why Rome flourished, which helped further my knowledge on why Rome fell. With Mr. Sansom being a Latin and Greek language expert, he taught me some new words that enriched the interview and helped me to understand more about Romans. I thought this interview was helpful because Stephen Sansom is a very knowledgeable person on the time period and brought many good ideas to my research topic. He is also extremely cool. Vale
Sansom, Stephen. Telephone Interview. May 7, 2010.
I thought this interview was very valuable because I was able to learn new things not only about the fall of Rome itself, but also about the Roman Empire as a whole which helped me understand better why it fell. Mr. Sansom provided me with multiple book sources that would help me further understand this topic. I learned about the tribes that Rome conquered and the things that Rome was able to take away from them. He also talked about the reasons why Rome flourished, which helped further my knowledge on why Rome fell. With Mr. Sansom being a Latin and Greek language expert, he taught me some new words that enriched the interview and helped me to understand more about Romans. I thought this interview was helpful because Stephen Sansom is a very knowledgeable person on the time period and brought many good ideas to my research topic. He is also extremely cool. Vale
Sansom, Stephen. Telephone Interview. May 7, 2010.
Are We Rome?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The book Are we Rome? by Cullen Murphy is a critical and provocative piece of literature that compares Rome, especially the decline of it, to America. He begins by naming the numerous ways in structure, politics and economy that we are identical to the Roman Empire. Then, the book progresses into the many reasons why Rome fell like its power- hungry bureaucrats, weakening army, barbarism and many more. Murphy says that Rome “Had evolved into something different from what it once was” and that was why they fell; they got away from the traditional Roman values (Murphy 28). He says that the Roman army was once a proud army made up of all social classes even the elite, but it transformed into a paid army full of barbarians. The ruling class was once made up of yeomen had changed to an autocracy full of selfish bureaucrats. Cullen Murphy gives many factual events and reasons as to why the great Roman Empire fell.
This was by far one of the best books I have ever read because of the subjects it covered and the writing style. The idea of the book was simply brilliant in itself, the comparison of Rome’s fall to possibly America’s fate. This comparison helped me to understand the book more because it put some Roman ideas in comparison with American so I understood it. Murphy also referred to many Latin terms used during the Roman times which helped bring the book to life. The ideas of this book and the subject matters made this an exceptional book.
Cullen Murphy did many different things to make his writing unique. He not only used his first-hand research, but also used multiple Roman historians and present thinkers to justify his reasoning. He didn’t just talk about the decline of Rome, but also about what made it great and such a superior empire, which helped me to understand why it declined and fell. Murphy also quoted many Roman texts and actual Romans like Plenty the Elder and Cicero in this book to make it seem true and authentic. It was very apparent that Cullen Murphy had done extensive research and studies on the topic because it was clear that he was very knowledgeable on the subject. Overall, this was a first-rate book on why Rome fell and an extraordinary piece of historical review.
Murphy, Cullen. Are We Rome?. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. 1-262. Print.
This was by far one of the best books I have ever read because of the subjects it covered and the writing style. The idea of the book was simply brilliant in itself, the comparison of Rome’s fall to possibly America’s fate. This comparison helped me to understand the book more because it put some Roman ideas in comparison with American so I understood it. Murphy also referred to many Latin terms used during the Roman times which helped bring the book to life. The ideas of this book and the subject matters made this an exceptional book.
Cullen Murphy did many different things to make his writing unique. He not only used his first-hand research, but also used multiple Roman historians and present thinkers to justify his reasoning. He didn’t just talk about the decline of Rome, but also about what made it great and such a superior empire, which helped me to understand why it declined and fell. Murphy also quoted many Roman texts and actual Romans like Plenty the Elder and Cicero in this book to make it seem true and authentic. It was very apparent that Cullen Murphy had done extensive research and studies on the topic because it was clear that he was very knowledgeable on the subject. Overall, this was a first-rate book on why Rome fell and an extraordinary piece of historical review.
Murphy, Cullen. Are We Rome?. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. 1-262. Print.
Fall of Rome vs. Failure of American Politics
The video “Fall of Rome vs. Failure of American Politics” gives two major reasons for the end of the empire. The first reason is Christianity. The video claims that as Christianity began to expand it was given more focus by the Roman elite causing them to either convert or persecute them. One scholar quotes, “Christianity actually saved the Roman Empire during the 3rd century” (Fall of Rome). This caused the focus of government to shift from politics and foreign invaders to Christianity within the empire. For many Romans Christianity was a new way of thinking, but for others it was seen as going against the Roman values. The second reason outlined in the video was the barbarians lead by Alaric. The barbarians wished to assimilate into the empire, but when their leader Alaric was rejected they turned against them. Alaric would soon conquer and burn the city of Rome ending the Western Empire. These two reasons of Christianity and barbarism are the main ideas given for the fall of Rome in the video.
I thought this was a very informative movie and it gave good reasons for the fall of Rome. The video featured many scenes as the narrator discussed various topics. It also had many scholars from different universities talking about the fall of Rome. It was a little confusing at the start when it talked about Christianity, but the main idea was made clearer later on. The video also showed many pictures to help you understand what they were talking about. This video was very informative and easy to understand why they thought Rome fell.
"Fall of Rome vs. Failure of American Politics." Youtube. Web. 15 Apr 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTGNgS1toEU.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTGNgS1toEU
I thought this was a very informative movie and it gave good reasons for the fall of Rome. The video featured many scenes as the narrator discussed various topics. It also had many scholars from different universities talking about the fall of Rome. It was a little confusing at the start when it talked about Christianity, but the main idea was made clearer later on. The video also showed many pictures to help you understand what they were talking about. This video was very informative and easy to understand why they thought Rome fell.
"Fall of Rome vs. Failure of American Politics." Youtube. Web. 15 Apr 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTGNgS1toEU.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTGNgS1toEU
