Barbarian Invasions &
Military Spending (1)
For years, the well-disciplined Roman army
held the barbarians (invaders) of Germany
in check. In the third century CE, the
Roman soldiers were withdrawn from the
Rhine- Danube frontier to fight civil wars in
Italy, and the Roman border was left open
to attack. Gradually, Germanic hunters and
herders from the north and central Europe
began to raid and take over Roman lands in
Greece and Gaul. In 476 CE, the Germanic
general, Odovacar, overthrew the laws of
the Roman Emperors and made himself the
ruler of all Italy. From then on, Germanic
tribal chiefs ruled the western part of the
Empire. Roads and bridges were left in
disrepair and many fields were left untilled.
Pirates and bandits made travel unsafe.
Cities declined and trade and business
began to disappear.
Barbarian Invasions &
Military Spending (2)
“Rome, like all great empires, was not
overthrown by external enemies
but undermined by internal decay…
The military crisis was a result of
the proud patrician class and their
shortage of children. Foreigners
poured into this void… The Roman
army was composed entirely of
Germans, or of other nationalities…
The empire had grown so large that
an incredibly large number of
soldiers were needed to defend it,
and most had no allegiance to their
empire.”
Map of the Roman
Empire, 177 CE: On
Screen
Environmental/Public
Health Problems (1)
Some historians believe that the fall of
the Roman Empire was due in part
because of health and environmental
problems. They claimed that
consuming excessive amounts of lead
killed some of the leaders of Rome off.
Since only the wealthy could afford to
have lead pipes bring water into their
homes and utensils made of lead for
cooking, their death rate was
increasing. What didn’t make sense
were those people from the Eastern
part of the empire survived longer
than those of the Western.
Urban Decay
Wealthy Romans lived in fancy houses called a
domus. These houses had marble walls, floors
with intricate colored marble tiles, and windows
made from real glass. However, most of the
people of Rome were not rich. The others lived
in small, smelly rooms in apartment houses with
6 or more rooms called islands. Each island
covered an entire block. At one time there were
more than 44,000 apartment houses with in the
city walls of Rome. The poor did not occupy first
floor apartments, as the rent was too high. As
the people climbed up the shaky wooden stairs
to the higher-level dwellings, the rent was
cheaper, and the apartments became warmer,
darker, and more crowded. Anyone who could
not afford to pay the rent was forced to move
out and live on the crime infested streets.
Because so many people lived on the streets, the
cities began to decay.
Urban Decay in Ancient
Rome—See picture.
Inflation and Economic
Concerns (1)
After the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman
economy suffered from inflation, which is
an increase in prices. Once the Romans
stopped conquering new lands, the flow of
silver into the economy decreased. On the
other hand, Romans spent a lot of their
silver on luxury items. This meant there
was less silver to use for coins. The
amount of silver was decreased in the
making of the coins, and then the coins
became less valuable. To make up for this
loss in value, the merchants increased the
prices on the goods they sold. Many
people stopped using coins and began to
barter (trading goods rather than using
money) to get what they needed.
Eventually salaries had to be paid in food
and clothing and taxes were collected in
fruits and vegetables.
Inflation and Economic
Concerns (2)
During the latter years of the Empire,
farming was done on large estates that
were owned by wealthy men that used
slave labor. These farmers who had to
pay the workmen could not produce
goods as cheaply as a slave owner
could; nor could the crops sell as
cheaply. Since these farmers could not
compete with the lower prices, many
lost or had to sell their farms.
Thousands of the previous employees
filled the cities looking for work, finding
there were not enough jobs to
accommodate them. At one time, the
emperor was importing grain to feed
the more than 100,000 unemployed
people just in the city of Rome.
Emperors of Rome (after
235 CE) See chart.
Rise in Christianity (2)
The Christian religion, which was monotheistic
(believing in only one god) ran counter to the
traditional Roman religion, which was
polytheistic (many gods). At different times, the
Romans persecuted the Christians because of
their beliefs, which were popular among the
poor.
In 313 C.E., Roman emperor Constantine the Great
ended all persecution and declared toleration for
Christianity. Later that century, Christianity
became the official state religion of the Empire.
This drastic change in policy spread this relatively
new religion to every corner of the Empire. By
approving Christianity, the Roman state directly
undermined its religious traditions.
Finally, by this time, Romans considered their
emperor a god. But the Christian belief in one
god — who was not the emperor — weakened
the authority and credibility of the emperor.
The Spread of
Christianity -- See
map.
Decline in Morals and
Values (2)
The Roman philosopher Seneca took a dim view of gladiatorial
contests and the spectacle that accompanied them.
Interestingly, his criticism is not based on revulsion at the
butchery he witnesses, but because the display is boring and
therefore unworthy of the attention of a well-reasoned man.
In a letter to a friend, he describes what he saw in the arena
during the reign of Emperor Caligula:
"There is nothing so ruinous to good character as to idle away
one's time at some spectacle. The other day, I chanced to drop
in at the midday games, expecting sport and wit and some
relaxation to rest men's eyes from the sight of human blood.
Just the opposite was the case. Any fighting before that was as
nothing; all trifles were now put aside - it was plain butchery.
The men had nothing with which to protect themselves, for
their whole bodies were open to the thrust. The common
people prefer this to matches on level terms or request
performances. Of course they do. The blade is not parried
(blocked off) by helmet or shield, and what use is skill or
defense? All these merely postpone death. In the morning men
are thrown to bears or lions, at midday to those who were
previously watching them. The crowd cries for the killers to be
paired with those who will kill them, and reserves the victor for
yet another death.
The Colosseum—See
picture.