Roman Empire DBQ
World History
October 2, 2012
The fall of Roman Empire
Have ever wondered why the Roman Empire fell? This fall has been an ongoing process for more than a century. The falling of the Roman Empire was caused by poor military, deadly illnesses, and disaster and destruction.
There are other factors as well that could have lead to the fall, such as military problems. The wars were constant, and there was heavy military spending. The roman army needed more and more soldiers. Document B states, “Before the year 400 CE, foot soldiers wore breastplates and helmets. But when, because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it” (Document B). The soldiers showed no discipline, they refused to exercise and they continued to complain about the weight of the armor. Because they sometimes refuse to wear armor, they marched into the fields ready to suffer the pain of wounds and the shame of defeat. The roman army fell due to laziness, …show more content…
The Antoine Plague killed thirty percent of the population. The epidemic was smallpox or measles. The plague followed the soldiers and it heavily ran through the Empire from Persia to Spain and from Britain to Egypt. It is believed that the smallpox virus spread under the ruling of Marcus Aurelius, the army contracted the disease while campaigning, while raiding the city of Seleucia in Babylonia. Those who had any direct contact with military activities helped the virus to spread through three major communication routes, such as trading routes, military movements and population movements. This plague caused 2,000 deaths a day, totaling at about five million deaths. This disease wiped out whole villages, including towns. Not only did it shrink the labor force but it weakened the
October 2, 2012
The fall of Roman Empire
Have ever wondered why the Roman Empire fell? This fall has been an ongoing process for more than a century. The falling of the Roman Empire was caused by poor military, deadly illnesses, and disaster and destruction.
There are other factors as well that could have lead to the fall, such as military problems. The wars were constant, and there was heavy military spending. The roman army needed more and more soldiers. Document B states, “Before the year 400 CE, foot soldiers wore breastplates and helmets. But when, because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it” (Document B). The soldiers showed no discipline, they refused to exercise and they continued to complain about the weight of the armor. Because they sometimes refuse to wear armor, they marched into the fields ready to suffer the pain of wounds and the shame of defeat. The roman army fell due to laziness, …show more content…
The Antoine Plague killed thirty percent of the population. The epidemic was smallpox or measles. The plague followed the soldiers and it heavily ran through the Empire from Persia to Spain and from Britain to Egypt. It is believed that the smallpox virus spread under the ruling of Marcus Aurelius, the army contracted the disease while campaigning, while raiding the city of Seleucia in Babylonia. Those who had any direct contact with military activities helped the virus to spread through three major communication routes, such as trading routes, military movements and population movements. This plague caused 2,000 deaths a day, totaling at about five million deaths. This disease wiped out whole villages, including towns. Not only did it shrink the labor force but it weakened the