ROMAN COLLAPSE

1. ROMAN COLLAPSE Mosaic of Plato’s School

2. Third Century Anarchy • Instability based on succession • devastating plague decimates population • economic malaise • Germanic tribes • Persian resurgence • loss of hope.

4. Spiritual Upheaval • Gods, mystery religions and neoplatonism • mithraism • Christianity • religion in the empire • change from an emotionless civic religion • search for spiritual fulfillment. Mithras (sun) slaying the bull (night)

5. Internal Problems • Political breakdown • end of independence of cities • bloated bureaucracy, expensive army • constant assaults from external threats

6. Internal Problems • Social breakdown • lack of connection to/with Roman Empire • decreasing urban middle class • rising banditry and loss of entire provinces • decrease in trade and use of road system • Appian Way

8. Roman Roads Via Appia

9. Economic Collapse • Money is silver or gold • Lack of revenue • only tax citizens • expansion of citizenship • Include less silver in each coin to “create” more money to pay army • Merchants raise prices • Hyper-inflation • 1000% inflation between 256 and 280

10. Rise of the Military • increasing external threats makes control of the military key to control of the Empire

11. Rise of the Military • military gains an increasingly large role in selection of emperor • focus on defense stops construction in cities • aqueducts in 235 AD • 235-285 known as the period of the Barracks Emperors • 19 emperors, only 1 did not die violently.

12. The Dominate • A series of strong emperors from the frontiers were successful in repulsing the Germans and Persians • regained lost portions of Gaul and in the East • these rulers changed the structure of the Empire into a more authoritarian state • court ceremonial • prostration, costume, make-up.

13. Diocletian (284-305) • Produces stability • enlarges army • German invaders turned into soldiers. • Regiments society with caste system.

14. Diocletian • two emperors • East and West, title is Augustus • each would have an assistant, title is Caesar • assistant and successor • known as the Tetrarchy • uses any tactic to preserve nation • price controls to combat inflation • persecution of Christians. Tetrarchy at time of Diocletian

15. Diocletian’s division of the empire

16. How are people living? • Slaves: 1 of 3 people is a slave • Employment: forced to have same job as parent to ensure economy would continue • Women: increased freedom, but except for widows, all still have lives controlled by men • Farmers • living at poverty level

17. Peasant Survival

18. Constantine (306-337) • Diocletian’s death - power struggle • founds Constantinople • dynastic state • legalizes Christianity.

19. Crisis of the Fifth Century • Policies of Diocletian and Constantine delay destruction • East remains stronger economically • West faces economic exhaustion • remains agricultural • decrease in trade • no manufactured goods • aristocracy remains withdrawn from economy • inflation, population decline, increasing poverty.

20. Crisis of the Fifth Century • Germans hired to fight Germans • revolts • Visigoths flee Huns • after being cheated, fight Romans, victorious at Adrianople (378), kill Emperor Valens • Visigoths under Alaric resume rampage • 406 recall of troops on Rhine to block Alaric • Vandals and others cross and occupy west • 410 Goths plunder Rome.

22. Twilight of the West • Lost of Rome destroys Roman morale • continued pressure from east pushes Germans • Germanic peoples carve out own kingdoms in the west • Huns dominate central and eastern Europe • Rome only controls Italy • German generals actually run the country • 476 Odovacar deposes last emperor.

23. The end of the Western Romans 476 CE

24. Why did it end?