"The barbarians are at the gates!"
This is a famous historical quote - supposedly the last thing recorded to be said when the Roman Empire's heart was crushed. (quote is prob a popular myth or more akin to a historical Saga)
Too busy fighting on many different fronts and campaigns that suddenly all cohesion & respect for Roman power & rule fell apart. For the economic & political reasons you list Scythe.
Feed the poor with bread to keep them from turning feral. Expend resources on lavish cruel games to distract & entertain the rest of the populas. Fight wars in foreign lands to perpetuate fear & control at home & abroad & to keep the war experienced armies & Generals from returning home to brood & staging a coup or developing a civil war to overthrow the corrupt elite. Spend spend spend to keep the old system & rulers in power. Employ costly mercenary armies to fight foreign wars. Train & equip same mercenary armies. Believe in their own divine right to rule and claim all ruling emergency powers by this divine permission - with no adherence to any prescribed laws or moral codes when it came down to self & fellow Elite's preservation..
The Roman sheeple at home just carried on as before with this system. There were some riots & a lot of political turmoil but it was efficiently repressed & the sheeple fed the same dung day in day out. All of a sudden a cry of surprise & alarm went up - "The barbarians are at the gates!!!"
Then silence in the historical texts!
(there is literary licence in this little story, but it is a popular historical often quoted tale)
(some of the barbarians were ex mercenary armies & commanders who had been trained in the Roman military schools and equipped the same. This meant they were on an equal footing with the Romans themselves in the Art of War and so turned this to tactical advantage. They proceeded to carve themselves a nice slice of the pie. Every other barbarian race saw this and were encouraged to follow suit.)
(16 February 2012, 03:00)Timelord Wrote: "The barbarians are at the gates!"
This is a famous historical quote - supposedly the last thing recorded to be said when the Roman Empire's heart was crushed. (quote is prob a popular myth or more akin to a historical Saga)
Too busy fighting on many different fronts and campaigns that suddenly all cohesion & respect for Roman power & rule fell apart. For the economic & political reasons you list Scythe.
Feed the poor with bread to keep them from turning feral. Expend resources on lavish cruel games to distract & entertain the rest of the populas. Fight wars in foreign lands to perpetuate fear & control at home & abroad & to keep the war experienced armies & Generals from returning home to brood & staging a coup or developing a civil war to overthrow the corrupt elite. Spend spend spend to keep the old system & rulers in power. Employ costly mercenary armies to fight foreign wars. Train & equip same mercenary armies. Believe in their own divine right to rule and claim all ruling emergency powers by this divine permission - with no adherence to any prescribed laws or moral codes when it came down to self & fellow Elite's preservation..
International & closer respect for Empire & it's rulers rapidly declined. With it also went trust in the coin of the realm. Inflation climbed & coins devalued. The money system started to fall apart as people distrusted it could be backed up by a bankrupt Rome and barter started to replace coin. Beaurocratic financial order regressed into turmoil. Wages were not paid. Projects abandoned. Supplies not procured or delivered. Industries dwindled. Skilled workers moved away. The countryside became dangerous & often lawless. Country dwellers lived in fear and took to arming themselves or small communities. Roadblocks appeared.
The Roman sheeple at home near the centre & cities just carried on as before with the old system. There were some riots & a lot of political turmoil but it was efficiently repressed & the sheeple fed the same dung day in day out. All of a sudden a cry of surprise & alarm went up - "The barbarians are at the gates!!!"
Then silence in the historical texts!
(there is literary licence in this little story, but it is a popular historical often quoted tale)
(some of the barbarians were ex mercenary armies & commanders who had been trained in the Roman military schools and equipped the same. This meant they were on an equal footing with the Romans themselves in the Art of War and so turned this to tactical advantage. They proceeded to carve themselves a nice slice of the pie. Every other barbarian race saw this and were encouraged to follow suit.)
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