Fall of the Classical Roman Empire

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Fall of the Classical Roman Empire

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Roman Empire - Africa - Europe - Constantinople

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Abstract

The classical Roman Empire was one of the most influential empires to modern civilization. It was started by rapid expansion in to the surrounding part of Africa and Europe (Warner, 2005). At the pinnacle of the Roman Empire, it included sections of Asia Minor. Many accounts place the demise of the Roman Empire with the Barbarian invasion somewhere between the 4th and 5th century AD. This paper will strive to respond to the question, when did the Roman Empire fall? At what point were the residents no longer considered Roman?

There are many theories as to the cause of the fall of the classical Roman Empire. One of them proposes that rapid expansion saw the empire become too big to control. For example, crossing the river Rhine symbolizes the first incidence when the empire lost a battle (Warner, 2005). This loss was also symbolic in the sense that the Roman army was retreating against a hoard of barbarians. The second explanation of the fall proposes that in the migratory periods, the vast movements of people destabilized the empire and thus resulted in a chaotic state. These migrating barbarians were responsible for the demise of the empire (Warner, 2005).

Though the Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, the eastern part of the empire remained. This western part, whose capital was Constantinople, stood for more than 1000 years following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It had all the aspects of the classical Roman Empire, from its structure to culture (Bringmann 2007). However, the center of the Roman Empire was Rome. The empire even derived its name from the city. This implies that though there were cultural and historical similarities, these were never the same empire. Indeed, in later years, the Catholic Church was to establish its capital in Rome. This remains up to date, but the religion of the eastern empire remained to be pagan until the Islamic conquests.

Introduction
Roman Empire
Fall of the Classical Roman Empire
Analysis
Conclusion

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[...] There are many theories as to the cause of the fall of the classical Roman Empire. One of them proposes that rapid expansion saw the empire become too big to control. For example, crossing the river Rhine symbolizes the first incidence when the empire lost a battle (Warner, 2005). This loss was also symbolic in the sense that the Roman army was retreating against a hoard of barbarians. The second explanation of the fall proposes that in the migratory periods, the vast movements of people destabilized the empire and thus resulted in a chaotic state. [...]

[...] However, the center of the Roman Empire was Rome. The empire even derived its name from the city. This implies that though there were cultural and historical similarities, these were never the same empire. Indeed, in later years, the Catholic Church was to establish its capital in Rome. This remains up to date, but the religion of the eastern empire remained to be pagan until the Islamic conquests. The debate about the end of the Roman Empire emanates from its influence on later date civilization, such as the case of the eastern part of the empire that stood until the 15th century (Warner, 2005). [...]

[...] The official language of the classical Roman Empire was Latin. This language is presently extent because no one speaks it. However, it remains very influential, especially in scientific naming. Even today, some scientific inventions are named in Latin. For example, the biological naming system that names species by their genus and species uses Latinized words. Back to the issue of the debate about the demise of the empire, linking the existence of an empire to its culture would imply that upon the death of a culture, the empire would be no more. [...]

[...] A history of the Roman republic. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Gibbon, E., & Mueller, H. (2003). The Decline and eventual fall of the Roman empire. New York: Modern Library. Warner, R., & Seager, R. (2005). Fall of the Roman Republic (Rev. and expanded ed.). London: Penguin Books. [...]

[...] In conclusion, the question is complicated and raises many points of view. However, it is secure to suppose that the residents of the Roman Empire stopped being identified as Roman after the death of the Roman Empire. Therefore, though they retained the identity of their mother empire, they could not have been identified with a dead empire. Similarly, the eastern empire of the Roman Empire cannot be considered to have been the Roman Empire because though it identified with the original empire, it moved in a different direction. [...]

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