1. Christianity and the longevity of "pagan" religion; e.g.:

end 4C: Symmachus vs. Ambrose on the goddess Victory

5C: Theodosian Code

2. Decline and Fall, 3rd-5th centuries

A. 3C crises persist:

imperial authority: "the emperor is above the laws" (Justinian Digest, early 3C)

economic: coinage, Diocletian, Edict on Prices

B. Decline of the cities and flight to the country

C. Germanic invasions; cp. 3C

410: Visigoths under Alaric sack Rome

455: Vandals invade Spain, north Africa, sack Rome

476: last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus; Germanic kingdoms fill void

D. Collapse of the western empire, 476 (empire in east lasts until 1453 as Byzantine empire): explanations/theories:

i. Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (18C)

Inevitable: "The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay. The causes of destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and, as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight. The story of its ruin is simple and obvious; and instead of inquiring why the Roman empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it had subsisted so long."

Other factors: Christianity and the split of the empire into two parts

ii. Internal processes

a. political (rigid, absolute monarchy, soldier-emperors; ambition, anarchy; breakdown central authority)

b. military ("barbarian" army too powerful, no allegiance to Rome)

c. economic (anarchy, civil war decreases production; collapse of currency, rise of inflation)

d. social: decline of cities; movement toward serfdom (bound to land)

iii. External events: Germanic invasions

iv. all of the above and 200 others!

2. Continuity: transformation and absorption, not fall

A. Politically: Romanized rulers in the west

e.g., Clovis the Frank (end 5-early 6C), Charlemagne (8-early 9C): title "Emperor of Rome"

B. Culturally:

i. Romanized Gauls: library, symposium, baths

ii. Christianity and classical literature

Jerome (4C) and Augustine (4-5 C)

iii. Architecture: e.g., the Parthenon

3. West and East: Rome, Byzantine Empire and Rise of Islam

late 5-6C

Latin west, Greek east

Christian: west and east

Roman law: west and east

gradual change: rise of Islam, 7C ; 7-8C (conquest of N. Africa, Spain, )

1453: Ottomans sack Constantinople: Islam official religion of empire