Thread by @CatImperator

The so-called "decline" of the #RomanEmpire - a thread 🧵

Many imagine the decline of the Roman Empire as this image of the ruined Roman Forum, the grandiose structures in ruin or disrepair, and cows and chickens walking around the site...but it is more complex... /1

https://twitter.com/Varangian_Tagma/status/1567874898881662976

Let's consider the Roman urban culture. Inherited from #Greece, curia ruled Rome and other cities. Those were the wealthy citizens that financed most of the buildings, repaired existing ones, and ran the daily affairs of the city.

In the East, the assembly was called boulē /2

It is easy to assume that the curiales, i.e, the wealthy and influential citizens preferred to build new monuments and structures, as it brought them considerable political capital.

After all, each citizen could see who built his favorite baths or library. Or market. /3

After #Augustus established the Empire, the emperor too joined, building (unsurprisingly) the most majestic and expensive constructions. Such is the #Colosseum in Rome, built under the Flavian dynasty, or Trajan's forum with a stunning column. /4

However, there was a catch. Maintaining urban sites like the Forum and its accompanying buildings was extremelly expensive.
While the Empire was expanding and its economy was flourishing, that was not an issue. /5

But as the Empire halted its expansion in the third century CE, and external and internal enemies pressed hard on the Roman defensive capabilities, the money was siphoned to fund the army. An enormous army. /6

Contrary to traditional belief, the fourth-century Roman Empire had one of the largest and most capable militaries in the world. Its numbers range from 400,000–600,000 men.

That is 2 or 3 times larger than the iconic legions of the second century. /7

As all the money went to the military, there was not enough to maintain the public buildings. This was especially clear in the West, as in the East, the emperors continued to fund the urban areas, including, of course, the new capital of Constantinople. /8

Also, there was a shift in culture and lifestyle. By the late fourth century, Christianity became the main state religion (soon the only one), and this caused the shift of investment...from the temples to the grand church complexes. /9

The issue got so complicated that the emperors, in an attempt to bring some order to urban planning, made a series of laws forbidding the rich from building new monuments and public buildings. Instead, they tried to force them to repair and maintain existing ones... /8

...the response of elites was predictable. To avoid spending money on stuff they could not make use of, political capital or otherwise, they fled to the countryside. Leaving the beleaguered imperial treasury to maintain the buildings. /9

This is again best visible in the Roman West, where the aristocrats like Ausonius or even Symacchus spent more time on their large estates in Gaul, or the Italian countryside than in the principal cities. /10

Thus, it would be wrong to assume that the ruin of Rome and other large cities in the West came as a result of barbarian invasions (which is another topic worth discussing, as are the civil wars). Nor is correct to call that ruin or "decline." /11

Instead, it was a different focus on urban life. While the aristocrats evaded paying for funding of urban structures, the citizens sighed collective relief as the abandonment of huge buildings (with few exceptions), meant that they would not have to pay for their upkeep... /12

Imperial treasury, after all, was filled primarily by taxation. The citizens, however, were taxed to pay for the military, which was also decreasing in size... /13

On the other hand, the weakening of the imperial power meant relief for the provincials. They found the barbarian kings a better alternative, as those new rulers asked for lesser taxes, unlike the now distant court in Ravenna. Plus, and that is important.. /14

...the barbarian kings were not really "barbarian." They were Romanized, spoke Latin, and knew and respected Roman customs. Sidonius Apollinaris, a famous diplomat, bishop, and poet, who lived during the last decades of the Roman West, greatly respected Gothic king Euric... /15

...and called him true Roman. As long as the "barbarian" kings behaved and did not ask for huge taxes, the provincial aristocrats preferred them over the far and increasingly alienated imperial power in Italy. /16

Thus, the "decline" for some was an opportunity and even relief for many others. Roman West fell not with a bang but with a whimper. It was a slow but gradual weakening of the imperial power caused by a variety of factors - economic, military, cultural, and lifestyle changes /17

To end it with that very image at the top, despite the two sacks of Rome, the city continued to play an important role in the new Ostrogoth Kingdom. /18

Ironically, that very image is the result of Roman involvement (reconquest). During the Gothic War in the mid-sixth century, the protracted warfare, plague, and several sieges of Rome resulted in the collapse of the Italian economy, depopulation of cities and the countryside. /19

Emperor Justinian won the victory in the end and reintegrated Italy and Rome into the Empire. But doing so he destroyed the Roman system of government on the peninsula. Leaving Italy in real decline for centuries that followed... /20