Rome. September 4, A.D. 476. The last ruler of Rome is kicked out of office, a usurper-- the last of this kind. August 24, A.D. 410. The Goths over take Rome. Perhaps these are the fault lines that cracked and gave way underneath this great Empire. Perhaps they never gave away in the first place. Did Rome really fall, or did it fade away? There are many theories as to how, why, when, and even if Rome fell. Many believe it was the fault of the Christians. Some blame Barbarians and vandals. And even some blame decay, inflation, economic faults, hoarding and deficit, lead in the water, and division of the empire. How did Rome fall? Why did it fall?
By the time the second emperor of Rome came about, Theodosis, Jesus had been executed. A few centuries later, Christianity became the religion of Rome. Religion coursed through the very veins of their government, shaping laws and leading government officials the way the bishops and priestesses thought best. Over time, religious leaders took power away from the emperor. Priestesses held the fortune of Rome, prophetic books told them how to win wars. Religion began to interfere with the inner workings of running a strong empire. Maybe it interfered too much. Maybe it caused the destruction of Rome.
Or maybe it was Economic struggle. With inflation so high and hoarding of bullion, gold, money that actually had value was hard to come by. And with citizenship granted to all, it reduced the incentive to join the army-- an army who, without a good leader, didn't train as well, didn't fight as well, and therefore, lost more battles. The invincible force that was the Roman military unit was now obsolete. Barbarians looted where they could, causing more economic troubles, and people hoarded bullion like it was manna from heaven. Not to mention there was lead in their water, in their cosmetics, in their food preparation, even. Poison was evident, and not just lead. It leaked into their values, their morals, their economy, their military. Rome was crumbling from the inside out - if only we could find the source of it. And maybe Rome didn't fall. Maybe it faded away into history. Either way, it's plain to see that Rome had some issues that not even Dr.Phil could figure out.
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