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#1 The Rhine River was the natural bridge that allowed the barbari, the non-Romans, to cross into Rome. The Romans were weary and disciplined, while the barbarians were anxious and helter-skelter.

#2 The first volume of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was published in 1776. It raised far more interest in London than the news from the troublesome colonies in North America. The decline of Rome, according to Gibbon, was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness.

#3 The Roman Empire fell because of inner weakness, or because of outer pressure from the barbarian hordes. However, Romans for many decades hardly noticed what was happening. The peace and predictability of Roman civilization was deep, lasting, and extensive.

#4 The Germanic tribes were not a threat to the Romans, as they were a year-in, year-out, raggle-taggle migration. The Romans, on the other hand, were overwhelmed by the numbers of the barbarian invaders.

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