Roman Empire Dbq Analysis

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The Roman Empire was one of the largest and most successful empires during the classical period. Started in 753 BCE, Ancient Rome ruled much of the Mediterranean and parts of Europe from more than 1000 years. In the third century AD, a forceful Roman general, Diocletian, seized the throne and split the Roman Empire into two parts- the West and the East. The Western part was already in decline, politically and economically, and the split made it more vulnerable to outside invasion. The Germanic Wars were a series of wars between the empire and nomadic tribes such as the Goths, lasting for several centuries. Finally, in 476 BCE, the Western Roman Empire fell to the nomadic tribes, marking the official end of the empire. These nomads that conquered the empire were seen as barbaric, as they killed and ravaged the Romans during the wars, not following any moral or ethical codes. Ultimately, because the germanic people were more primitive in their fighting style and in their beliefs about war, they could be considered barbarians, despite their advanced …show more content…

In fact, some Roman historians even considered them to be possessed by demons, “who force them to commit the most terrible acts. The nomads had no self control, lusting for gold and power and having very poor hygiene (Document 3). The “barbarians” were “incapable of living according to written laws and only reluctantly tolerating kings.” The Romans tried incorporating the nomads into their army. Emperor Probus enlisted 16,000 German recruits to help the Romans fight, but “they all broke faith ... they roamed over well-nigh the entire world on foot or in ships and did no little damage to the glory of Rome” (Document 7). The Germanic people refused to cooperate with Rome, and were seemingly uncontrollable, not respecting any authority. This made them, in the eyes of the Romans, barbaric and

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