The Decline and Fall of Rome

Opposite Emperor in the East

Emperor Justinian stands at the center of this mosaic (c. 547) on the wall of the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Justinian imposed the Christian faith on his subjects, sometimes by force.

THE END OF THE SEVERAN DYNASTY IN 235 INTRODUCED what some historians of Rome have called a period of anarchy (disorder and chaos), with no strong central government in control. For 50 years, a series of generals and politicians claimed the title of emperor, and a separate mini-state with its own emperors rose in Gaul. Parts of the eastern empire also had local rulers for a time. Historians Tim Cornell and John Matthews, in Atlas of the Roman World, say the exact number of men who tried to rule all or parts of the empire from 235 to 284 may never be known, but, “Nearly all met violent deaths in civil or foreign wars, or by conspiracy.”

Several problems created the anarchy of the age. Rome could no longer afford to field an army large enough to defend all its distant borders. On many sides, barbarian tribes and established kingdoms confronted Roman troops. The Goths, originally from northern Europe, attacked Asia Minor, Germanic tribes moved against Gaul and Spain, and the Sassanid Empire rose in the East. A shortage of precious metals also hurt the Roman economy.

One of the economic problems Rome faced during the third cen-tury-inflation-sometimes worries governments today. Inflation refers to the rising cost of goods over time. If wages rise at the same rate as prices, inflation is not a problem. But if wages remain flat or decline, then people cannot afford to buy as much as they could in the past. In Rome, inflation was mostly the result of the government’s debasing the money. At one time, silver coins were made completely of silver. Everyone knew how much silver was in a coin and the value of the metal. Debasing the coins-putting less silver in them-meant they had less value. By 260, a

The Goths

The Goths, a Germanic tribe, invaded Rome for decades and played a major role during the Empire's fall. They eventually split into western Goths (Ostrogoths) and eastern Goths (Visigoths). During the Middle Ages, a period from about 500 to 1500, a style of architecture called Gothic developed in Europe, but it had no direct relation to either tribe.

“silver” coin was only 5 percent silver; the rest was less valuable metals. People needed more money to buy the same amount of goods they could purchase with the older, more valuable coins. Over a seven-year period starting in 267, prices rose 700 percent.

Under changes made during the Severan Dynasty, Roman soldiers were allowed to marry for the first time, and they often wed local provincial women. Provincial auxiliary troops also played a larger role in the military. With these developments, more soldiers had strong family ties in the regions where they served, and they were reluctant to move and fight in other parts of the empire, as the emperors sometimes demanded. The troops proclaimed their own commanders as emperors, to try to prevent their being repositioned and to focus the government’s attention on their region.