- Unit 3. Rome, the Global Empire
- Getting Started
  - What Are We Learning?
  - Observe and Think
  - Map Your Mind
- Rome, the Global Empire
  - The History of Ancient Rome
    - A Little City Become Empire
    - The Legendary Origins
    - The Monarchy (753-509 BC)
    - The Republic (509-27 BC)
      - The Fight for Political Rights
      - Major Conquests during the Republic
      - The Crisis of the Republic
    - The Roman Empire (27-476 AD)
      - The Crisis of the Third Century
      - The Recovery of the 4th Century
      - The Fall of the Roman Empire
  - The Roman Society
    - Women in Rome
    - Slaves
  - The Roman Economy
  - The Roman Law
  - The Roman Army
- Self-Evaluation Quiz
- Complementary Activities
  - The Greek and Latin Roots of English
  - One Myth, One Song
  - Games, Comics and Stuff
- References

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# The Fall of the Roman Empire

In 375 AD, the Huns entered Germanic territory. The Germanic tribes fled into the Roman Empire. The Romans were unable to stop the invasion of these barbarians.

You should know... Attila the Hun

Attila the Hun was called the "Scourge of God"; the grass was said to never grow on the spot where his horse had trod. Aren't you eager to find out more about this amazingly cruel figure?

After Emperor Theodosius died in 395, the empire was divided into two, so that it could be defended more easily. The Western Roman Empire had its capital in Rome, while the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was Constantinople. Each empire had its own emperor and its own institutions.

The evolution of the two parts of the empire was very different. In the Western Empire, the emperors were weak and incapable of stopping the Germanic tribes. These tribes formed their own kingdoms. In 476, they deposed the last Western Roman Emperor, bringing the empire to an end.

The Eastern Empire was maintained for another thousand years, but under a new name: the Byzantine Empire.

## Activity

Describe in your own words what the Western Roman Empire was like at the moment of the final conquest of the city of Rome.

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