The fall of the Roman Empire:

A great mystery of history

by Nagalingam Kumarakuruparan

Why Rome fell remains one of the greatest mysteries of history. Historian Edward Gibbon attempts to tell this story in his monumental work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It is considered as one of the greatest works of history. Gibbon believed that it was his destiny to be a historian and to chronicle the theme of Rome's fall.

The evidence about the ancient Rome is of two main types. First, objects which have been left by its ancestors. They are usually described as archaeological evidence. Secondly, there are the written records of the ancient civilisation.

He admired the achievements of the Roman Empire at its height. The imagery of ancient Rome has frequently been invoked by more recent states for its association with the ultimate heights both of power and civilisation. It also serves as a warning to humanity. The emperors who built the great monuments and waged wars, all died like other human beings. Eventually their empire also came to an end.

Tiber valley

Archaeologists believe that the ancestors of the Romans moved into the fertile Tiber valley from the North-East about 1000 BC. They and other groups spoke the language which was later to develop into Latin.

According to Roman legend Romulus and Remus founded Rome in 753 BC. From then until 509 BC the Romans lived under the rule of Etruscan kings and then in 509 BC the Romans expelled the much hated ‘Etruscan king Tarquin the Proud’ from the city and established the Roman Republic. The Etruscans were the strongest and most civilised people in Northern Italy. They controlled Rome for two or three generations during which time the town grew fast as a trading centre. The Etruscan power began to decline between 520 BC and 500 BC.

Between 509 BC and 264 BC Rome became the most powerful city in Italy.

In the years that followed the Roman power expanded throughout the Italian peninsula. During Julius Caesar's time Rome was a well established empire with overseas colonies. The Roman Empire was so large – No other power has ever controlled all the lands around the Mediterranian.

A powerful army was the key to the success. The Romans were able to translate military success into political and diplomatic security. They proved generous victors. They shared with other Italian cities political power and degrees of citizenship. The Romans summed up their political existense in a single phrase, ‘The Roman Senate and the People'.

Challenges

The real genius of the Romans lay in the fields of politics and law. They realistically met challenges and created institutions, magistracies and legal concepts to deal with practical problems. Moreover, the Roman Constitution was not a single written document but a set of traditional beliefs, customs and laws. The greatest institution of the Republic was the Senate, a council of noble elders who advised the king. The Senate advised the Consuls (Chief Magistrate or Protector) and other Magistrates because the Senate sat year after year, while Magistrates changed annually, providing stability and continuity. It also served as a reservoir of experience and knowledge.

Technically, the Senate could not pass legislation, it could only offer its advice. Because of the Senate's prestige its advice had the force of law.

Romans created several assemblies through which the people elected Magistrates and passed legislation.

Law

The development of law was one of the Romans most splendid achievements. Roman Law began as a set of rules that regulated the lives and relations of citizens. The spirit of the Law aimed at protecting the property, lives and reputations of citizens; redressing wrongs and giving satisfaction to victims of injustice. During the overseas conquests the Romans came into more frequent contact with foreigners. They had to devise laws to deal with disputes between Romans and foreigners and among foreigners living under the Roman jurisdiction.

Another important aspect of early Roman history was a great social conflict, usually known as the ‘struggle of the orders’, which developed between Patricians (Nobles) and Plebians (Commoners). What the Plebians wanted was real political representation and safeguards against Patrician domination.

The Plebians’ efforts to gain recognition of their rights are the crux of the struggle of the orders. The struggle of the orders resulted in a Rome stronger and better united than before. It could have led to class warfare and anarchy, but again certain Roman traits triumphed. The values fostered by their social structure predisposed the Romans to compromise. Important, too, were Roman patience, tenacity, and a healthy sense of the practical. These qualities enabled both sides to keep working until they had resolved the crisis.

The struggle of the orders ended in 287 BC with the new concept of Roman citizenship. All citizens shared equally under the law. Theoretically, all could aspire to the highest political offices. Patrician or Plebian, rich or poor, Roman citizenship was equal for all.

The Roman Empire is often seen as very modern and highly sophisticated. No other State would construct such a massive network of all-weather roads until the 19th century and in many countries such roads would not be built until the 20th century.

Collosseum

Spectacular monuments-the collosseum and pantheon in Rome as well as theatres, aqueducts, villas and road dotted throughout the provinces. This makes Rome's fall all the more remarkable. Its fall is memorable because its empire lasted for so long, moreover governing Rome was not an easy task.

There had been many serious disagreements over how Rome should be governed since the Republic had been set up. On the one hand was the Senate representing the nobility, on the other the Assembly which spoke for the ordinary people.

Bureaucracy and regulation continued to grow apace, while the basic efficiency of institutions declined. Rome also had its golden era. Edward Gibbon, said the 100 year's leading to the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in AD 180 ‘The period in history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous'.

When Commodus succeeded his father Marlus Aurelius as Emperor in AD 180 it was the beginning of 100 years of bad government. The main interests of Commodus were circus and lion baiting. According to Dio Cassius who lived at the same time, he was a greater curse to the Romans than any epidemic or crime.’After 12 years of incapable yet cruel rule he was assassinated. He was followed by many other wicked or weak emperors.

They were usually chosen by the army. Julianus who succeeded Commodus, did so simply because he offered more money per soldier than his rival. The importance of the bureaucrats and soldiers well understood by Serverus, who got rid of Julianus and made himself Emperor. Between AD 235 and AD 285 there were more than 20 Emperors. They reigned on average two-and-a-half years and almost all died violently.

Many people feel that they can see clear similarities between ancient Rome and modern world. Gibbon acknowledged that Britain and countries across the channel all owed their origins to the various Barbarian groups that had carved up the Roman Empire.

Many states have been compared to the Roman Empire. Not long ago the most natural comparison would have been with Britain, and nowadays, it is with the United States of America. Any close look at the Roman Empire will soon reveal massive differences with any modern state. Gibbon's work is about the collapse of the Roman Empire, which vanished in the West and East. His aim is to understand the history on its own terms and in its own context.