Course: The Fall and Decline of Rome
Lecture 5
Life in the Once
Roman Empire
Area After 476
HC5
, Fall or Transformation?
When the Roman Empire ended, did Roman civilization decline/fall or transform?
Scholars’ Opinions
Gibbons
Gibbons: Rome fell due to internal moral causes (Barbarism & Religion) ! enlightenment
scholars saw the fall of Rome as the Fall of European Civilisation.
Brown
Peter Brown doesn’t see a break. Rather he describes this period as a slow and gradual
transformation / transition. Brown’s school of thought is positive.
Brown mainly used literature-evidence.
Ward-Perkins
Ward-Perkins went against Brown and also said the ending of Roman Empire was a break
and a fall, and a decline of civilization. He mainly looked at material sources, like:
Pottery
During Roman Empire: Almost industrial production of pottery. BIG QUANTITY and HIGH QUALITY.
This sort of pottery was all over the place in the empire; not only in the houses of wealthy people, but
also in those of ordinary people). However, this post-roman-empire pot was found in a royal
grave/tomb (Sutton Hoo). Ward-Perkins says: this piece of shit was found in a King’s grave! –This
was apparently the best the people could do, after the Empire had ended!
Rural settlements in Roman Empire:
Here you see two maps of Rural Italy, in the centre of the empire. Less settlements after the fall.
(However these maps misleading: dots mean slightly different things).
Animal bones in the Roman Empire:
Material evidence shows cow bones are biggest during the Roman Empire.
Cow bones in Middle Ages are however smaller than the Iron Age cow bones!
Quote by Perkins:
“Some of the recent literature on the Germanic settlements reads like an account
of a tea party at the Roman vicarage. A shy newcomer to the village, who is a (! How it’s described by other scholars)
useful prospect for the cricket team, is invited in. There is a brief moment of
awkwardness, while the host finds an empty chair and pours a fresh cup of tea;
but the conversation, and village life, soon flow on“
“(...) The new arrival had not been invited, and he brought with him a large family; (! How Ward-Perkins sees it.)
they ignored the bread and butter, and headed straight for the cake stand.”
HC5
, Signs of Decline
However evidence shows signs of certain types of decline:
• Decline in manufacture and trade of goods
• Decline in agricultural production
• Decline in living standards
• Decline in population size
• Decline in literacy (in Pompeii lots of graffiti ! lots of common people were able to read
and write) ! in the Middle Ages decline in literacy. Not even all kings could read and write.
After the Roman Armies Left:
Small Kingdoms in BRITAIN
After the Romans leave, Britain breaks up in many small kingdoms. It will take
centuries before Britain becomes a centralized kingdom again.
Money disappears: NO NEW coins are produced anymore. Why? Well, it indicates:
- Less of a need for coins: society becomes more local where coins are not
necessary: to trade with the farmer in the next village coins are not needed.
- Ability/skill to produce coins disappears: if you want coin production on the
scale the Romans had, you need skills, you need production houses, mint workers,
materials (that need to be imported) and you need mint-masters who can make
pictures in the coins, etc. The Small British kingdoms don’t have all that.
- Purpose of paying the Roman army disappears: The primary reason for the
Roman large-scale coin production was to pay the Roman soldiers. Roman army
was the biggest pressure on the Roman treasure chest.
Notes on the short British poem “The Ruin” (ca. eighth/ninth century) (maybe
referring to the Roman Baths at Bath, but not sure). (To read, look it up online) :
• The description “Work of giants” in this poem is an interesting part, as it shows
that people were so impressed that they thought the skill was almost inhuman.
• The poem also speaks of loss. We see remnants’ of a distant empire that was
once there; now gone. Now: no progress or bright future: just decline.
! People like Ward-Perkins jump on this and say: “ha, see! UK lost civilisation when Romans left!”
HC5
Lecture 5
Life in the Once
Roman Empire
Area After 476
HC5
, Fall or Transformation?
When the Roman Empire ended, did Roman civilization decline/fall or transform?
Scholars’ Opinions
Gibbons
Gibbons: Rome fell due to internal moral causes (Barbarism & Religion) ! enlightenment
scholars saw the fall of Rome as the Fall of European Civilisation.
Brown
Peter Brown doesn’t see a break. Rather he describes this period as a slow and gradual
transformation / transition. Brown’s school of thought is positive.
Brown mainly used literature-evidence.
Ward-Perkins
Ward-Perkins went against Brown and also said the ending of Roman Empire was a break
and a fall, and a decline of civilization. He mainly looked at material sources, like:
Pottery
During Roman Empire: Almost industrial production of pottery. BIG QUANTITY and HIGH QUALITY.
This sort of pottery was all over the place in the empire; not only in the houses of wealthy people, but
also in those of ordinary people). However, this post-roman-empire pot was found in a royal
grave/tomb (Sutton Hoo). Ward-Perkins says: this piece of shit was found in a King’s grave! –This
was apparently the best the people could do, after the Empire had ended!
Rural settlements in Roman Empire:
Here you see two maps of Rural Italy, in the centre of the empire. Less settlements after the fall.
(However these maps misleading: dots mean slightly different things).
Animal bones in the Roman Empire:
Material evidence shows cow bones are biggest during the Roman Empire.
Cow bones in Middle Ages are however smaller than the Iron Age cow bones!
Quote by Perkins:
“Some of the recent literature on the Germanic settlements reads like an account
of a tea party at the Roman vicarage. A shy newcomer to the village, who is a (! How it’s described by other scholars)
useful prospect for the cricket team, is invited in. There is a brief moment of
awkwardness, while the host finds an empty chair and pours a fresh cup of tea;
but the conversation, and village life, soon flow on“
“(...) The new arrival had not been invited, and he brought with him a large family; (! How Ward-Perkins sees it.)
they ignored the bread and butter, and headed straight for the cake stand.”
HC5
, Signs of Decline
However evidence shows signs of certain types of decline:
• Decline in manufacture and trade of goods
• Decline in agricultural production
• Decline in living standards
• Decline in population size
• Decline in literacy (in Pompeii lots of graffiti ! lots of common people were able to read
and write) ! in the Middle Ages decline in literacy. Not even all kings could read and write.
After the Roman Armies Left:
Small Kingdoms in BRITAIN
After the Romans leave, Britain breaks up in many small kingdoms. It will take
centuries before Britain becomes a centralized kingdom again.
Money disappears: NO NEW coins are produced anymore. Why? Well, it indicates:
- Less of a need for coins: society becomes more local where coins are not
necessary: to trade with the farmer in the next village coins are not needed.
- Ability/skill to produce coins disappears: if you want coin production on the
scale the Romans had, you need skills, you need production houses, mint workers,
materials (that need to be imported) and you need mint-masters who can make
pictures in the coins, etc. The Small British kingdoms don’t have all that.
- Purpose of paying the Roman army disappears: The primary reason for the
Roman large-scale coin production was to pay the Roman soldiers. Roman army
was the biggest pressure on the Roman treasure chest.
Notes on the short British poem “The Ruin” (ca. eighth/ninth century) (maybe
referring to the Roman Baths at Bath, but not sure). (To read, look it up online) :
• The description “Work of giants” in this poem is an interesting part, as it shows
that people were so impressed that they thought the skill was almost inhuman.
• The poem also speaks of loss. We see remnants’ of a distant empire that was
once there; now gone. Now: no progress or bright future: just decline.
! People like Ward-Perkins jump on this and say: “ha, see! UK lost civilisation when Romans left!”
HC5
