by Rob Korporaal

Created on: February 14, 2011

The concept of the "fall" of Rome is a somewhat incorrect usage of the term, used for expediency of dialogue rather than factual correctness.  The historical truth is that Rome did not simply "fall", it simply ceased to be the centre of the European and Mediterranean worlds after hundreds of years of gradual decline.

The beginning of this decline can perhaps best be traced back to the collapse of the Severan Dynasty, two and a half centuries before the city of Rome itself was overrun by the so-called barbarian Germanic invaders.  Following a promising start to the dynasty, which included clever political gambles and the extension of citizenship to the whole of the (non-slave) Empire, this line of rulers fell victim to inefficacy and a series of assassinations.  In a military coup, the last of the Severan line was assassinated, marking the end both of the Severans and of the Principate system of government established by Augustus at the beginning of the imperial period.

What followed has become known to historians as the Crisis of the Third Century.  It was a span of nearly 50 years of political, social, economic, and military upheaval which very nearly ended Roman dominance.  Dozens of military leaders attempted to lay claim to the throne, whilst simultaneously neglecting their responsibilities throughout the provinces of the empire.  Unsurprisingly, this resulted in a political fracturing wherein the empire split in three.

During the Crisis, the empire also faced invasions both large and small.  Various groups of Germanic invaders hounded Roman borders weakened by the endless internal power struggles for the better part of two decades; while during the same period a plague emerged which devastated populations in various parts of the empire.

But power struggles and disease were not the only crises which crippled the empire in this period.  Economic chaos also devastated a great many places within Roman borders.  Colossal inflation and devaluation of currency reduced many to a system of barter rather than use of money.  This also had the doubly damaging effect of forcing formerly wealthy trade-centric settlements to disperse in order for their merchants to survive.  This disaster, paired with the above-described military unrest and reliability, translated into a sharp decline in internal security as well.  With roads and settlements no longer properly policed or guarded, the trade network vital to the

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