Roman Empire Research Paper

The Fall of the Roman Empire: Invaders and New Religions
The mystifying fall of the Roman Empire has continued to amaze the people of the world for centuries, and as a result, many have wondered how can one of the greatest civilizations of the world could die so unexpectedly. More than two hundred studies have been completed on the subject if the fall of the Roman Empire; some of the most notable researchers include Edward Gibbon and Peter Heather, and each of them has developed different theories. Edward Gibbon's theory was among the "traditional lines of explanation" that show how the empire was weakened internally, and by means of the introduction of Christianity into the Roman society, dampening the morale of the Roman people (Murphy).
On the other hand, Peter Heather's theory said that the only force that caused Rome to fall were the barbarians. As a result, many other researchers have followed in the footsteps that these historians have left behind, taking one side or the other, but why must one choose a side when there is a possibility that it was both that caused it? These two theories are both correct, but in order to understand the fall of the Roman Empire one must familiarize themselves with the acme of the empire, the theory of Edward Gibbon, the more recent hypothesis of Peter Heather, and the history that his theory derives from.
The Ancient Roman Civilization was one of the most profound societies, because of its powerful military, government, and developments in architecture.
Rome was the largest western Eurasian State and had ruled for about 450 years. They created a system of strategic road networks for the surprise and ambush of enemies, and also maintained one of the best militaries in the ancient world, with incredibly fierce and highly trained warriors who never backed down from the fight. The Roman Republic was an infallible government where tariffs were collected, laws were decreed, and bureaucracies were employed(Heather). The architecture and public works were prodigious, from the Colosseum to the aqueducts and public baths that were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Gibbon felt that the Empire was exposing its own weaknesses and was at the brink of its collapse, but Heather contradicted this statement because of how strong this empire was(Murphy). Its population was approximately 1.5 million, but before the collapse of it, it shrank to about a fifth of its previous numbers(Fall of the Roman Empire). As history shows, those who reach the pinnacle of success often fall the hardest when the time comes, and the fall of Rome appears to be the perfect
example.
Edward Gibbon, the English Historian himself had once said, "It was an inflexible maxim of Roman discipline that a good soldier should dread his own officers far more than the enemy." Gibbon believed that the introduction of Christianity to the Roman Empire was one of the major things that caused it to fall, due to the denial of old beliefs passed down for centuries and the acceptance of newly announced ones. He stated that it "dampened the military spirits because of the preaching of patience and pusillanimity," and that the pacifist ideas were taking away their urge to fight(Heather). The promises of eternal happiness that it preached had made it very easy for men and women to drop their current beliefs and switch over to a new one, even though the bridge from polytheistic to monotheistic was not the easiest. In the process of switching between the two, they violated many of the Roman rules and the division that had followed had turned the Romans on themselves, because of the belief that they were traitors, and soon enough even families were pitted against each other, making community and union very scarce(Hadas). Not only were the people clashing with their neighbors, but the marble trade suffered from these conversions as well; its collapse took place in the 390s as a result of an abundant amount of cheap second-hand marble was being made available on the grounds that the people did not need to build any more temples or shrines to multiple gods and goddesses. The church had heavily promoted the donation of money to charities, causing the decline in wealth for those who followed the religion. Last but not least, this destroyed the Greco-Roman and aristocratic beliefs that read, "Only the wealthy and leisurely of education would be able to achieve true civilization," demolishing what the people of Greece and Rome had believed in for hundreds of years(Heather). All in all, Gibbon's theory encompasses the belief that the institution of Christianity caused the Roman Empire to dwindle.
Andre Piganiol, a French historian, had stated that the " Roman Civilization did not die a natural death. It was murdered.(Murphy)" Heather's theory says that the invaders had pressed on the borders and caused the decline of the empire. First of all, the term “barbarian”, when used by the Romans, is not accurate, because they called anyone who was not a Roman "uncivilized, unintelligent, and irrational" and they were believed to be lower human beings that were the opposite of themselves, as they believed they were the epitome of humanity and perfection; also, as ancient history is usually biased and written by the victors, hence, the presentation of the barbarians/invaders is historically inaccurate, and they are portrayed in a poor light. There were many types of "barbarians" that had either invaded the land or resided within its boundaries, and the most abundant tribes included the Goths/Germans, the Huns/Asians, and the Vandals, another Germanic tribe; each of these tribes participate in the fall of the Roman Empire, and while some caused a few minor disruptions, others had caused the whole entire empire to fall like a line of dominoes, one after the other. The Huns, a synonym for "terror", had been displaced by the Chinese during the Qin empire, and soon after, they gave the same treatment to the Goths, who had then split into two groups, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths(The Fall of the Roman Empire). The Visigoths had sought and were granted asylum from Emperor Valens, in the hope of swaying them to their side, but that, unfortunately, was not the case. The Ostrogoths, on the other hand, were conquered and forced to aid the Huns and their leader, Atilla(Goths). In around 376 AD, the Visigoths revolted and killed Emperor Valens and 2/3 of his army, because of the way they had been treated by corrupt Roman soldiers(Heather). The final straw was the Rhine in December(406 AD), where a Germanic tribe "wreaked economic havoc by depriving the Roman's of tax revenues for the of their army," wearing the economy of the empire(Murphy). This Germanic tribe was called the Vandals, meaning "wanders," and in the 430s they had conquered the Roman's richest remaining province in North Africa; the loss of this beneficial province crippled the revenue of the Romans and quickened its imminent fall. These different types of "barbarians" were able to conquer the lands of Rome and take over those that had been a necessity for their survival, meaning that the theory penned by Heather is not unsupported.
Whether the fall of the empire was caused by the spread of Christianity or the invaders’ intrusions, it is clear that there were many major events that had caused the empire to fall, or maybe even both of these were possible.
The two theories are both supported by renowned historians, and each of them has their own merit and historical examples to back it up. Heather believes that there was no possible reason for the empire to fall from within, because the Romans were too strong to crumble due to the corruption of their society. Gibbon, on the other hand, believed that there were flaws within its structure, and thought that the institution of a new religion divided the people more than it had united them. All in all, the fall of the Roman Empire was caused by many things, but there have been two possible reasons, among others that have been presented about how an advanced civilization could dwindle so unexpectedly and spontaneously.

Works Cited
"Goths." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2016, p. 1p. 1. EBSCOhost.
Web. Accessed 15 Feb. 2017.
Hadas, Moses. Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment. G.P
Putnams's Sons, 1962. Print. Accessed Feb. 16 2017
Heather, Peter. The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome & the Barbarians.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. Accessed Feb. 14 2017.
Murphy, Daniel P. "The Fall of the Roman Empire." Magill's Literary Annual 2007, June 2007, pp 1-3. EBSCOhost. Web. 15 Feb. 2017
"The Fall of the Roman Empire." Middle Ages Reference Library, edited by Judy
Galens
and Judson Knight, vol. 1: Almanac, UXL, 2001, pp. 7-18. World History in Context. Web. Accessed 15 Feb. 2017.