People always look to Rome as the prototypical collapsing empire, but the lesson there is literally that it's a long, slow, mundane process, and even then half the empire continued on for like a millenium.
Hell, Britain is still in that process of expanding and shrinking, like a muscle that’s flexing to fight atrophy. They don’t actually expand influence anymore, but the fundamental mechanisms are still operational
First one was 390BC, arguably before Rome's expansion.
The other two were in the 400s, well after the split (which actually stabilised the Empire for a century along with other reforms) and then again twice during the Byzantine reconquest of Italy.
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People always look to Rome as the prototypical collapsing empire, but the lesson there is literally that it's a long, slow, mundane process, and even then half the empire continued on for like a millenium.
Rome was sacked at least 3 times before it ceased to become an imperial entity, and then twice after that.
Hell, Britain is still in that process of expanding and shrinking, like a muscle that’s flexing to fight atrophy. They don’t actually expand influence anymore, but the fundamental mechanisms are still operational
Wasn't even the first sacking post east/west divide? I think they'd arguably been pretty deep in the process of collapse at that point.
First one was 390BC, arguably before Rome's expansion.
The other two were in the 400s, well after the split (which actually stabilised the Empire for a century along with other reforms) and then again twice during the Byzantine reconquest of Italy.
How d i a l e c t i c a l of it.