Causes of Decline
This empire grew too weak to survive and officially fell in 476 CE.
What is the Roman Empire?
He was the first emperor of Rome.
Who is Augustus?
This religion spread through Rome and became very influential by the 4th century.
What is Christianity?
These Roman structures carried water into cities.
What are aqueducts?
Rome’s army was sometimes paid in this, and it seasons food.
What is salt?
Rising prices and loss of value of money caused this economic problem in Rome.
What is inflation?
This emperor split the Roman Empire into East and West.
Who is Diocletian?
Romans watched these men fight in this form of public games.
What are gladiators ?
Rome’s system of government that influenced modern democracies.
What is a republic?
Rome hired these soldiers from outside the empire to fight in its army.
What are mercenaries?
This disease killed many Romans, weakening the empire.
What is plague?
He moved the capital to Byzantium, later called Constantinople.
Who is Constantine?
This language, spoken by Romans, influenced many European languages today.
What is Latin?
Roman engineers built this network that connected the empire and allowed armies to move quickly.
What are Roman roads?
Rome had trouble defending its empire because these were too long to protect effectively.
What are the borders/frontiers?
Overreliance on this type of labor reduced innovation and hurt Rome’s economy.
What is slave labor?
He was the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
Who is Romulus Augustulus?
Romans attended events at this large stadium, including gladiator fights and other spectacles.
What is the Colosseum?
This Eastern empire survived long after the Western Roman Empire fell.
What is the Byzantine Empire?
Even with a large army, Rome often lost battles because of this problem in leadership and strategy.
What is poor leadership or weak military strategy?
This farming problem, caused by overworked land, contributed to Rome’s decline.
What is poor harvests / soil exhaustion?
This emperor made Christianity the official religion of Rome.
Who is Theodosius I?
This social class in Rome had the most political power and wealth, often controlling the Senate and key decisions.
Who are the patricians?
The year the Western Roman Empire officially ended.
What is 476 CE?
Having a lot of these in many different regions can cause the fall of any empire, because they drain resources more quickly, the bigger your empire gets.
What are standing armies?