1. Collapse of the Roman and Han
Empires
Historical Comparisons

2. Long-Distance Travel in the Ancient
World
• Lack of police enforcement outside of
established settlements
• Changed in classical period
– Improvement of infrastructure
– Development of empires
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2
All Rights Reserved.

3. Trade Networks Develop
• Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek
colonization
• Maintenance of roads, bridges
• Discovery of monsoon wind patterns
• Increased tariff revenues used to maintain
open routes
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
3
All Rights Reserved.

4. The Silk Roads
• Named for principal commodity from China
• Dependent on imperial stability
• Overland trade routes from China to Roman
empire
• Sea lanes and maritime trade as well
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
4
All Rights Reserved.

5. The Silk Roads, 200 B.C.E.-300 C.E.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
5
All Rights Reserved.

6. Organization of Long-Distance Trade
• Divided into small segments
– Trade done in stages
• Sea trade
– Malay and Indian mariners
– Persian, Egyptian, Greek
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
6
All Rights Reserved.

7. Cultural Trade: Buddhism and
Hinduism
• Merchants carry religious ideas along silk
routes
• India through central Asia to east Asia
• Cosmopolitan centers promote development
of monasteries to shelter traveling merchants
• Buddhism becomes dominant faith of silk
roads, 200 B.C.E.-1000 C.E.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
7
All Rights Reserved.

8. The Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and
Christianity, 200 B.C.E.-400 C.E.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
8
All Rights Reserved.

9. The Spread of Epidemic Disease
• Role of trade routes in spread of pathogens
• Limited data, but trends in demographics
reasonably clear
• Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
• Effect: economic slowdown, move to regional
self-sufficiency
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
9
All Rights Reserved.

10. Epidemics in the Han and Roman
Empires
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
10
All Rights Reserved.

11. Internal Decay of the Han State
• Court intrigue
• Problem of land distribution
– Large landholders develop private armies
• Epidemics
• Peasant rebellions
– 184 C.E., Yellow Turban uprising
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
11
All Rights Reserved.

12. Sinicization of Nomadic Peoples
• Social and cultural changes to a Chinese way
of life
• Adapted to the Chinese environment
– Agriculture
• Adoption of Chinese
names, dress, intermarriage
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
12
All Rights Reserved.

13. Popularity of Buddhism and Daoism
• Disintegration of political order casts doubt on
Confucian doctrines
• Buddhism, Daoism gain popularity
• Religions of salvation
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
13
All Rights Reserved.

14. Fall of the Roman Empire:
Internal Factors
• The “barracks emperors”
• 235-284 C.E., twenty-six claimants to the
throne, all but one killed in power struggles
• Epidemics
• Disintegration of imperial economy in favor of
local and regional self-sufficient economies
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
14
All Rights Reserved.

15. Diocletian (r. 284-305 C.E.)
• Divided empire into two administrative
districts
• Co-emperors, dual lieutenants
– “Tetrarchs”
• Currency, budget reform
• Relative stability disappears after Diocletian's
death, civil war follows
• Constantine emerges victorious
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
15
All Rights Reserved.

16. Fall of the Roman Empire:
External Factors
• Visigoths, influenced by Roman
law, Christianity
– Formerly buffer states for Roman empire
• Attacked by Huns under Attila in fifth century
C.E.
• Massive migration of Germanic peoples into
Roman empire
• Sacked Rome in 410 C.E., established
Germanic emperor in 476 C.E.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
16
All Rights Reserved.

17. Germanic Invasions and the Fall of the
Western Roman Empire, 450-476 C.E.
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
17
All Rights Reserved.

18. Cultural Change in the Roman Empire
• Growth of Christianity
– Constantine’s vision, 312 C.E.
– Promulgates Edict of Milan, allows Christian
practice
– Converts to Christianity
• 380 C.E., Emperor Theodosius proclaims
Christianity official religion of Roman empire
©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
18
All Rights Reserved.

19. The Fall of Rome
For centuries after the rule of its first
emperor, begun in 27 B.C., the Roman Empire
was the most powerful state in the ancient
world. Rome continued to expand to include 3
continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa.

21. Many factors cause the decline of
Rome
By the second century, the Roman Empire seemed
indestructible. Yet, by the end of the fifth century it
had collapsed. Rome did not fall instantly.
Instead the empire went through a long
slow decline. Many conditions caused the fall of
Rome including internal (inside) and external
(outside) forces.

22. The Fall of Rome
Internal Forces External Forces
3 Main Categories:
- Political - Invaders, also called
- Economic barbarians
- Social

23. Political
• Corruption in government
• Plebeians had no rights
• Empire too large to
control
• Emperors plotted against
each other for control
instead of uniting
• Civil wars
• Government lost loyalty
as patricians moved to
villas and stopped caring
about government
• Army deteriorates

24. Economic
• Slavery
• Unemployment
• Welfare system
• Taxation
• Forced labor
• Decrease in trade

25. Social
• Christianity
• Loss of citizen’s
confidence and loyalty
• Population declines
• Hierarchical classes
• Too many cultures
• Bread and circuses
• Plague

26. External Forces
Invaders, also called barbarians, began to invade in
the 3rd century. Germanic tribes from northern
Europe crossed the Roman frontier and invaded
Greece, Italy, Spain, and coastal areas of Asia Minor.
The warmer climate, rich farmlands, and wealth of
the Roman lands attracted the Germanic tribes. By
the 5th century, the Roman Empire was overrun by
barbarians.

27. Diocletian

29. Constantine

30. Attila the Hun

31. The Fall of Rome
Once the Roman army could no longer defend
its borders, Germanic tribes began pouring
into Europe. One Roman province fell after
another. In 476 A.D., the Western Roman
emperor was overthrown. Odoacer was then
proclaimed king of Italy. The ancient world
was drawing to a close.