The Fall of Rome’s Army, Economics and Lead Poisoning

Intro

The fall of western rome was not caused by a single event but a chain of events that lead to the fall of the empire. During the decline of the empire its population expanded but that didn't matter when the empire fell. Many people believe that small problems with the empire like metal poisoning in water, monetary trouble and a steadily declining military caused rome to fall.

The Fall of Rome's army

There's no doubt that the loss of military power and control lead to the decay of rome. It affected their ability to keep their borders and maintain control against any types of revolts or rebellion caused by the citizens of rome. Vegitus the roman historian from the 5th century said the cause of the decay came from within the army itself. The lack of wars caused the soldiers to train less and not wear their protective armor. This made them weaker and more vulnerable to their enemies. It also gave the army a temptation to flee and not fight when they enter a battle. Vegitus also stated that the soldiers in the army became incompetent and the rewards they were supposed to receive ended up being unevenly distributed.

Economics and Lead Poisoning

Scholars suggest that rome suffered with lead poisoning from pipes which affected their whole water supply, which means all their beverages and even food could be contaminated with lead or anything else that floated into the water aqueducts. Other things in economics such as over-taxation caused another reason for citizens to be angry at the government.

Conclusion

In conclusion the fall of rome was a chaotic time that left one of the world's greatest empires in ruin.

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