A lot of this has little to do with actual historical reality and more to do with modern preoccupations that Rome = Civilization. If you are deeply invested in that idea then the fall of Rome must be a cataclysmic event. Also tied to ideas that empires are the highest form of govt
Jon Dell IsolaI'm not strong enough for another round of Fall of Rome/Dark Ages discourse. No serious medievalist is arguing that the early middle ages was a time of sunshine and roses. This is different than saying it was a time of pure collapse with no "culture" or writing or whatever metric you wanna use