Did the Roman Empire really fall? What would later be known as the Byzantine Empire wasn't just an extension of the Roman Empire; it was part of the empire itself that flourished for nearly another millennia. The Western Roman Empire simply declined into a state of existence that made it vulnerable to invaders and was eventually overran by barbarian tribes. Rome had essentially been declining since 180 AD when civil wars occurred up until 285 AD and a plague had killed an estimated one-fourth of the population. The Roman Empire was slowly transforming into something foreign. …
