Opinions on events and circumstances responsible for the collapse of the early Roman Empire are divided. Some may argue that the Roman Empire never fell because only the western empire fell while the eastern part survived and became known as the Byzantine Empire. Others would argue that the Early Roman Empire did not fall, but it progressively declined throughout several centuries. The best approach to analyzing the fall of the Roman Empire is to conclude that all factors worked in synergy together, and it is not possible to pinpoint only one reason for its demise. The Roman Empire fell because political instability, the migration period, health issues, economic dislocation, and climate changes worked in synergy against its stability and maintainability.
Some of the most common assumptions about the fall of the Roman Empire are that political incompetence was created because the empire was divided. Although it allowed better monitoring and ruling of Roman territories, that same decision created an unnecessary power struggle between the leaders, especially because the leaders were military officials while the emperors from the beginning of the 5th century were mainly only figureheads. Furthermore, bad economic decisions regarding taxes, inflation, and over-regulation were practiced by emperors since Nero’s time (Bartlett, “How Excessive Government Killed Ancient Rome”).
Another well-known fact is that Romans used lead to build aqueducts, store water supplies, pottery, and cookware (Nriagu 660). After several generations of polluting their water, their physical and mental capacities progressively declined. Contemporary scientific research concludes that children have low resistance for lead because lead which is not excreted is stored in bones and becomes insoluble (Lessler 82). Long-term effects of lead poisoning from childhood include impaired growth, anemia, and retardation (Lessler 82). Without healthy and functional citizens, Rome was unable to exercise political or military power, and it was bound to fall eventually.
Besides internal issues within the social structure, researchers address several external factors when describing the fall of Rome, and they mainly focus on climate changes and barbarian invasions. Studies show that increased climate variability coincided with the fall of the Western Roman Empire (Kinver, “Roman Rise and Fall ‘Recorded in Trees’”). Although climate itself cannot be considered a significant determinant, the climate changes could have contributed to the political and economic turmoil within Rome and the migration of barbarians that invaded it. The formal end of the Western Roman Empire is considered to be in the year 476 when the Germanic soldiers revolted and overthrew Romulus Augustus. However, the process of Roman decline took place at different paces in different regions. For example, the invasion of the Vandals in Africa culminated in 436 when Carthage was captured (Ward-Perkins 14). The Visigoths, who agreed on peaceful settlement in 419, decided to take a larger portion of the empire by force. In addition to invading hordes, civil wars among tribes and ethnic groups continued to tear apart the Roman military and social stability. Despite the high amount of military pressure at the time, the Romans always held a significant military advantage over other tribes (Ward-Perkins 34). With that in mind, only internal factors could have weakened their integrity and ability to deal with invasions on the empire and internal revolts in various regions.
Although it is not possible to pinpoint one single factor responsible for the fall of Rome, internal factors have a higher significance than external factors in its demise. According to Ward-Perkins, Rome fell because they delegated away the empire’s power rather than being invaded (9). Rome built itself because it resisted external influences, such as invasions, through structuring their economic and political situations. If Rome had maintained its original stability and power, it would have remained immune to external influences. Because several changes have progressively destroyed its integrity over centuries, and because the citizens impaired their progeny’s health through lead poisoning, Rome was unable to defend itself against external influences that destroyed it.
Works Cited
Bartlett, Bruce. “How Excessive Government Killed Ancient Rome.” The Cato Journal 14.2 (1994): n. pag. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
Kinver, Mark. “Roman Rise and Fall ‘Recorded in Trees.’” BBC.co.uk. BBC News, 14 January 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
Lessler, Milton A. “Lead and Lead Poisoning from Antiquity to Modern Times.” Ohio Journal of Science 88.3(1988): 78-84. Print.
Nriagu, Jerome O. “Saturnine Gout among Roman Aristocrats — Did Lead Poisoning Contribute to the Fall of the Empire?” The New England Journal of Medicine 308.11(1983): 660-663. Print.
Ward-Perkins, Bryan. The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
