The Fall of the Roman Empire

The fall of the Roman Empire was not an event but a process, one that unfolded slowly over several centuries. This course will examine how Rome went from a period of unquestioned power and prosperity in the late second century AD into an era of economic, political, and military instability that resulted in a steady decline, punctuated by periodic revivals that ultimately failed. We will examine the evidence of literature, military, and political history and major artistic monuments. The course will focus on the root causes of this decline in Roman military and economic policy under relentless pressure from barbarian Europe and in competition with the neighboring Persian Empire. We will also consider the emergence of Christianity, not so much as a cause or symptom of decline but as the cultural process through which the Romans reinvented themselves one last time.