Quote from acronym:
Rome?
It wasnt built in a day, and didnt fall in a day. The only reason it stayed affloat so long, was robbery-empire building, to get much needed resources.
They ran out of gold, to pay troops.......devalued the currency.....they had to keep invading countries, to provide legionaires land grants.....
Rome existed as a powerfull force, if not the penultimate force for some 500 years after the golden era of the "good emporors', and after that, they just changed their name really.
Even after rome was sacked by the visigoths, it was rebuilt-even after attilla the hun was bought off by the emporor , rome continued.
The very idea, that rome declined due to its citizens "lacking morals" is truly freaking absurd, when you look at some of the laws brought in by various nutcase emporors, let alone the fact the seat of constantinople became the base for a "restored" roman empire....with a new gold standard.........and it was sacked and destroyed by christian crusaders.
These are indeed the good old days