History 201

Lab IX

Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776)

"The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness

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 for so long."

(Vol 2. p. 438)

Pope Gregory the Great (b. 540)

"What if Rome herself, once deemed the Mistress of the World, has now become,

we see, wasted away with afflictions grievous and many, with the loss of citizens,

and the assaults of enemies, the frequent fall of ruined buildings... Where is the Senate?

Where are the people? The bones are all dissolved, the flesh is consumed, all the pomp

of the dignities of this world are gone." (paraphrase of Ezekiel)

Read about the "fall" of Rome

http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc1/lectures/14romefell.html

http://www.unipissing.ca/department/history/orb/milex.htm

Choose some selections from Gibbon

http://www.his.com/~z/gibbon.html

Making reference to these sources, as well as any other theories you can find*, identify the causes for the decline (not fall) of Roman influence in the ancient world. Which theory seems most significant to you? Why? (1-2 pages)

*Some of these theories will be discussed in class - the lead poisoning theory or the latest from the NY Times - malaria.