The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1

The History of the Decline and Fall of the RomanEmpire

The History of the Decline and Fallof the Roman Empire

Author Edward Gibbon

Country England

Language English

Subject history of the Roman Empire

Publisher Strahan & Cadell, London

Publication date 1776–89

Media type Print

LC Classification DG311

Edward Gibbon (1737–1794).

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire(sometimes shortened to Decline and Fall of the RomanEmpire) is a book of history written by the English historianEdward Gibbon, which traces the trajectory of Westerncivilization (as well as the Islamic and Mongolian conquests)from the height of the Roman Empire to the fall ofByzantium. Published in six volumes, volume I waspublished in 1776 and went through six printings. Volumes IIand III were published in 1781; volumes IV, V, and VI in1788–89. The original volumes were published in quartosections, a common publishing practice of the time. The workcovers the history of the Roman Empire, Europe, and theCatholic Church from 98 to 1590 and discusses the decline ofthe Roman Empire in the East and West. Because of itsrelative objectivity and heavy use of primary sources, at thetime its methodology became a model for later historians.This led to Gibbon being called the first "modern historian ofancient Rome".

Thesis

Gibbon offers an explanation for why the Roman Empire fell, a task made difficult by a lack of comprehensivewritten sources, though he was not the only historian to tackle the subject.[1]

According to Gibbon, the Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian invasions in large part due to the gradual loss of civic virtue among its citizens.[2] They had become weak, outsourcing their duties to defend their Empire to barbarian mercenaries, who then became so numerous and ingrained that they were able to take over the Empire. Romans, he believed, had become effeminate, unwilling to live a tougher, "manly" military lifestyle. In addition, Gibbon argued that Christianity created a belief that a better life existed after death, which fostered an indifference to the present among Roman citizens, thus sapping their desire to sacrifice for the Empire. He also believed its

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comparative pacifism tended to hamper the traditional Roman martial spirit. Finally, like other Enlightenmentthinkers, Gibbon held in contempt the Middle Ages as a priest-ridden, superstitious dark age. It was not until his ownage of reason and rational thought, it was believed, that human history could resume its progress.[3]

Gibbon sees the Praetorian Guard as the primary catalyst of the empire's initial decay and eventual collapse, a seedplanted by Augustus at the establishment of the empire. He cites repeated examples of the Praetorian Guard abusingtheir power with calamitous results, including numerous instances of imperial assassination and incessant demandsfor increased pay.

StyleGibbon's style is frequently distinguished by an ironically detached and somewhat dispassionate yet critical tone. Heoccasionally lapsed into moralization and aphorism."[A]s long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors,the thirst of military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters"."The influence of the clergy, in an age of superstition, might be usefully employed to assert the rights of mankind;but so intimate is the connection between the throne and the altar, that the banner of the church has very seldom beenseen on the side of the people"(Chapter Three p.52)."History...is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortune of mankind"(ibid p.69)."If we contrast the rapid progress of this mischievous discovery [of gunpowder] with the slow and laboriousadvances of reason, science, and the arts of peace, a philosopher, according to his temper, will laugh or weep at thefolly of mankind" (Chapter 65,p.68).Wikipedia:Please clarify

CitationsGibbon provides the reader with a glimpse of his thought process with extensive notes along the body of the text, aprecursor to the modern use of footnotes. Gibbon's footnotes are famous for their idiosyncratic and often humorousstyle, and have been called "Gibbon's table talk." They provide an entertaining moral commentary on both ancientRome and 18th-century Great Britain. This technique enabled Gibbon to compare ancient Rome to modern times.Gibbon's work advocates a rationalist and progressive view of history.Gibbon's citations provide in-depth detail regarding his use of sources for his work, which included documentsdating back to ancient Rome. The detail within his asides and his care in noting the importance of each document is aprecursor to modern-day historical footnoting methodology.The work is notable for its erratic but exhaustively documented notes and research. John Bury, following him 113years later with his own "History of the Later Roman Empire", commended the depth and accuracy of Gibbon'swork. Unusually for the 18th century, Gibbon was notably not content with secondhand accounts when the primarysources were accessible and used them so well that even today historians still cite his work as the definitive factualhistory of the western empire.[citation needed] "I have always endeavoured", Gibbon wrote, "to draw from thefountain-head; that my curiosity, as well as a sense of duty, has always urged me to study the originals; and that, ifthey have sometimes eluded my search, I have carefully marked the secondary evidence, on whose faith a passage ora fact were reduced to depend."[4] The Decline and Fall is a literary monument and a massive step forward inhistorical method.[5]

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Controversy: chapters XV, XVIVolume I was originally published in sections, as was common for large works at the time. The first two were wellreceived and widely praised. The last quarto in Volume I, especially Chapters XV and XVI, were highlycontroversial, and Gibbon was attacked as a "paganist". Gibbon challenged Church history by estimating far smallernumbers of Christian martyrs than had been traditionally accepted. The Church's version of its early history hadrarely been questioned before. For Gibbon, however, the Church writings were secondary sources, and he shunnedthem in favour of primary sources contemporary to the period he was chronicling.He compared the reigns of Diocletian (284–305) and Charles V (1519–1556) and the electorate of the Holy RomanEmpire, making the argument that the two were remarkably dissimilar. Both emperors were plagued by continualwar and compelled to excessive taxation; both chose to abdicate as Emperors at roughly the same age; and bothchose to lead a quiet life upon their retirement. However, Gibbon argues these similarities are only superficial andthe underlying context and character of the two rulers is markedly different.

CriticismNumerous tracts were published criticizing his work, and Gibbon was forced to defend his work in reply. He leftLondon to finish the following volumes in Lausanne, where he could work in solitude. Gibbon's remarks onChristianity aroused particularly vigorous attack. However, in the mid-twentieth century, at least one author claimedthat "church historians allow the substantial justness of [Gibbon's] main positions."[6]

Christianity as a contributor to the fall and to stability"As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear without surprise or scandalthat the introduction, or at least the abuse of Christianity, had some influence on the decline and fall ofthe Roman empire. The clergy successfully preached the doctrines of patience and pusillanimity; theactive virtues of society were discouraged; and the last remains of military spirit were buried in thecloister: a large portion of public and private wealth was consecrated to the specious demands of charityand devotion; and the soldiers' pay was lavished on the useless multitudes of both sexes who could onlyplead the merits of abstinence and chastity. Faith, zeal, curiosity, and more earthly passions of maliceand ambition, kindled the flame of theological discord; the church, and even the state, were distracted byreligious factions, whose conflicts were sometimes bloody and always implacable; the attention of theemperors was diverted from camps to synods; the Roman world was oppressed by a new species oftyranny; and the persecuted sects became the secret enemies of their country. Yet party-spirit, howeverpernicious or absurd, is a principle of union as well as of dissension. The bishops, from eighteenhundred pulpits, inculcated the duty of passive obedience to a lawful and orthodox sovereign; theirfrequent assemblies and perpetual correspondence maintained the communion of distant churches; andthe benevolent temper of the Gospel was strengthened, though confirmed, by the spiritual alliance of theCatholics. The sacred indolence of the monks was devoutly embraced by a servile and effeminate age;but if superstition had not afforded a decent retreat, the same vices would have tempted the unworthyRomans to desert, from baser motives, the standard of the republic. Religious precepts are easily obeyedwhich indulge and sanctify the natural inclinations of their votaries; but the pure and genuine influenceof Christianity may be traced in its beneficial, though imperfect, effects on the barbarian proselytes ofthe North. If the decline of the Roman empire was hastened by the conversion of Constantine, hisvictorious religion broke the violence of the fall, and mollified the ferocious temper of the conquerors."(chap. 39).[7]

Historians such as David S. Potter and Fergus Millar dispute claims that the Empire fell as a result of a kind of lethargy towards current affairs brought on by Constantine's adoption of Christianity as the official state religion. They claim that such a view is "vague" and has little real evidence to support it. Others such as J.B. Bury, who wrote

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a history of the later Empire, claimed there is "no evidence" to support Gibbon's claims of Christian apathy towardsthe Empire:

"It has often been alleged that Christianity in its political effects was a disintegrating force and tended toweaken the power of Rome to resist her enemies. It is difficult to see that it had any such tendency, solong as the Church itself was united. Theological heresies were indeed to prove a disintegrating force inthe East in the seventh century, when differences in doctrine which had alienated the Christians in Egyptand Syria from the government of Constantinople facilitated the conquests of the Saracens. But after thedefeat of Arianism, there was no such vital or deep-reaching division in the West, and the effect ofChristianity was to unite, not to sever, to check, rather than to emphasise, national or sectional feeling.In the political calculations of Constantine it was probably this ideal of unity, as a counterpoise to thecentrifugal tendencies which had been clearly revealed in the third century, that was the greatrecommendation of the religion which he raised to power. Nor is there the least reason to suppose thatChristian teaching had the practical effect of making men less loyal to the Empire or less ready todefend it. The Christians were as pugnacious as the pagans. Some might read Augustine's City of Godwith edification, but probably very few interpreted its theory with such strict practical logic as to beindifferent to the safety of the Empire. Hardly the author himself, though this has been disputed."[8]

Today, historians tend to analyze economic and military factors in the decline of Rome.[9]

Furthermore, Gibbon has been criticized for his portrayal of Paganism as tolerant and Christianity as intolerant. In anarticle that appeared 1996 in the journal Past & Present, H.A. Drake challenges an understanding of religiouspersecution in ancient Rome, which he considers to be the "conceptual scheme" that was used by historians to dealwith the topic for the last 200 years, and whose most eminent representative is Gibbon. Gibbon had written:

"The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people asequally true; by the philosophers as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful".

Drake counters:"With such deft strokes, Gibbon enters into a conspiracy with his readers: unlike the credulous masses, he andwe are cosmopolitans who know the uses of religion as an instrument of social control. So doing, Gibbonskirts a serious problem: for three centuries prior to Constantine, the tolerant pagans who people the Declineand Fall were the authors of several major persecutions, in which Christians were the victims. ...Gibboncovered this embarrassing hole in his argument with an elegant demur. Rather than deny the obvious, headroitly masked the question by transforming his Roman magistrates into models of Enlightenment rulers —reluctant persecutors, too sophisticated to be themselves religious zealots."

Misinterpretation of ByzantiumOthers such as John Julius Norwich, despite their admiration for his furthering of historical methodology, considerGibbon's hostile views on the Byzantine Empire flawed and blame him somewhat for the lack of interest shown inthe subject throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.[10] This view might well be admitted by Gibbon himself:"But it is not my intention to expatiate with the same minuteness on the whole series of the Byzantine history."[11]

However one recent scholar of Byzantium says, "Gibbon and Lebeau were genuine historians — and Gibbon a verygreat one — and their works, in spite of factual inadequacy, rank high for their presentation of their material."[12]

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Gibbon's reflectionsGibbon's initial plan was to write a history "of the decline and fall of the city of Rome", and only later expanded hisscope to the whole Roman Empire.Although he published other books, Gibbon devoted much of his life to this one work (1772–1789). Hisautobiography Memoirs of My Life and Writings is devoted largely to his reflections on how the book virtuallybecame his life. He compared the publication of each succeeding volume to a newborn child.[13]

EditionsGibbon continued to revise and change his work even after publication. The complexities of the problem areaddressed in Womersley's introduction and appendices to his complete edition.•• In-print complete editions

• J.B. Bury, ed., 7 volumes (London: Methuen, 1909–1914), currently reprinted (New York: AMS Press, 1974).Until Womersley, this was the essential edition, but now nearing age 100, the historical analysis/commentaryis dated. [ISBN 0-404-02820-9].

• Hugh Trevor-Roper, ed., 6 volumes (New York: Everyman's Library, 1993–1994). from the Bury text and withGibbon's own notes, but without Bury's, many of which are superseded by more recent research. [ISBN0-679-42308-7 (vols. 1–3); ISBN 0-679-43593-X (vols. 4–6)].

• David Womersley, ed., 3 volumes. hardback-(London: Allen Lane, 1994); paperback-(New York: PenguinBooks, 2005;1994). The current essential edition[citation needed], the most faithful to Gibbon's originaltext[citation needed]. The ancient Greek quotations are not as accurate as in Bury, but an otherwise excellentwork with complete footnotes and bibliographical information for Gibbon's cryptic footnote notations[citation

needed]. Includes the original index, and the Vindication (1779) which Gibbon wrote in response to attacks onhis caustic portrayal of Christianity. The 2005 print includes minor revisions and a new chronology. [ISBN0-7139-9124-0 (3360 p.); ISBN 0-14-043393-7 (v.1, 1232 p.); ISBN 0-14-043394-5 (v.2, 1024 p.); ISBN0-14-043395-3 (v.3, 1360 p.)]

•• In-print abridgements•• David Womersley, ed., 1 volume (New York: Penguin Books, 2000). Includes all footnotes and eleven of the

original seventy-one chapters. [ISBN 0-14-043764-9, 848 p.]• Hans-Friedrich Mueller, ed., one volume abridgment (New York: Random House, 2003). Includes excerpts

from all seventy-one chapters. It eliminates footnotes, geographic surveys, details of battle formations, longnarratives of military campaigns, ethnographies and genealogies, but retains the narrative from start to finish.Based on the Rev. H.H. [Dean] Milman edition of 1845 (see also Gutenberg etext edition). [ISBN0-375-75811-9, (trade paper, 1312 p.); ISBN 0-345-47884-3 (mass market paper, 1536 p.)]

LegacyVariations on the series title (including using "Rise and Fall" in place of "Decline and Fall") have been used by otherwriters:• An Inquiry into the Permanent Causes of the Decline and Fall of Powerful and Wealthy Nations. Designed To

Shew How The Prosperity Of The British Empire May Be Prolonged [14] (1805), William Playfair• The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government (1868), Jefferson Davis• Decline and Fall (1928), Evelyn Waugh• The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody (1950), by the satirist Will Cuppy• The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1959), William Shirer• The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler (1961), William Shirer• The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1975), David Nobbs

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 6

• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church (1983), Malachi Martin• Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire (1986), Hans Eysenck• The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy (1990), David Cannadine• The Decline and Fall of Roman Britain (2000), Neil Faulkner• The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America (2003), David Carlin• The Decline and Fall of the British Empire (2007), Piers Brandon• Decline and Fall of the American Republic (2010), Bruce Ackermanand in music albums:• Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969), The Kinks• The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), David Bowieand in film titles:• The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)• The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), Penelope Spheeris• The Decline of the American Empire (1986), Denys Arcandand in television:• Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006)The title and author are also cited in Noël Coward's comedic poem "I Went to a Marvellous Party".[15] And in thepoem "The Foundation of Science Fiction Success", Isaac Asimov acknowledged that his Foundation series—an epictale of the fall and rebuilding of a galactic empire—was written "with a tiny bit of cribbin' / from the works ofEdward Gibbon".

Notes[1] see for example Henri Pirenne's (1862–1935) famous thesis published in the early 20th century. As for sources more recent than the ancients,

Gibbon certainly drew on Montesquieu's short essay, Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Romains et de leur décadence, and onprevious work published by Bossuet (1627-1704) in his Histoire universelle à Monseigneur le dauphin (1763). see Pocock, EEG. for Bousset,pp. 65, 145; for Montesquieu, pp. 85–88, 114, 223.

[2] J.G.A. Pocock, "Between Machiavelli and Hume: Gibbon as Civic Humanist and Philosophical Historian," Daedalus 105,3(1976), 153–169;and in Further reading: Pocock, EEG, 303–304; FDF, 304–306.

[3] J.G.A. Pocock, "Between Machiavelli and Hume: Gibbon as Civic Humanist and Philosophical Historian," Daedulus 105,3(1976), 153–169;and in Further reading: Pocock, EEG, 303–304; FDF, 304–306.

[4] Preface to Gibbon's Volume the Fourth in David Womersley ed., Edward Gibbon - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,vol. 2 (New York: Penguin Books, 1994), p. 520.

[5] In the early 20th century, biographer Sir Leslie Stephen ["Gibbon, Edward (1737–1794)," Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 7, (Oxford,1921), p. 1134.] summarized The History UNIQ-nowiki-0-e00c4afdaf777395-QINU s reputation as a work of unmatched erudition, a degreeof professional esteem which remains as strong today as it was then:

The criticisms upon his book...are nearly unanimous. In accuracy, thoroughness, lucidity, andcomprehensive grasp of a vast subject, the History is unsurpassable. It is the one English history whichmay be regarded as definitive. ...Whatever its shortcomings, the book is artistically imposing as well ashistorically unimpeachable as a vast panorama of a great period.

[6] The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. IV, eds. S.M. Jackson, et al. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House,1952), 483–484. online (http:/ / www. ccel. org/ ccel/ schaff/ encyc04/ Page_484. html).

[7] General Observations On The Fall Of The Roman Empire In The West. Fall In The West — The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire byEdward Gibbon. At Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Calvin College Computer Science. http:/ / www. ccel. org/ g/ gibbon/ decline/volume1/ chap39. htm

[8] J.B. Bury, History of the Later Roman Empire, from Arcadius to Irene (395 A. D. to 800 A. D.). (London and New York: Macmillan and Co.,1889), 319–320.

[9] Ramsay MacMullen, Corruption and the Decline of Rome. (New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1988); Thomas S. Burns, Barbarians Within theGates of Rome: Study of Roman Military Policy and the Barbarians, ca. 375–425 AD. (Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1995).

[10] John Julius Norwich, Byzantium (New York: Knopf, 1989); Byzantium: the apogee (London and New York: Viking Press, 1991).[11] Preface of 1782 online (http:/ / www. ccel. org/ ccel/ gibbon/ decline/ files/ preface. htm).

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 7

[12] Georgije Ostrogorski History of the Byzantine State (1986) p 5 online (https:/ / www. google. com/ search?tbo=p& tbm=bks& q="gibbon+and+ lebeau+ were+ genuine+ historians"& num=10)

[13] Patricia B. Craddock, Edward Gibbon, Luminous Historian. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1989), 249–266.[14] http:/ / www. gutenberg. org/ files/ 16575/ 16575-h/ 16575-h. htm[15] Link to notes on the poem here (http:/ / www. noelcoward. net/ ncmiindex/ i1. html#iwtamp). Excerpt: "If you have any mind at all,

Gibbon's divine Decline and Fall, Seems pretty flimsy, No more than a whimsy... ."

Please exchange link for vol. 4. This one is correct: http:/ / books. google. de/ books?id=ZgMhemqVnSsC&pg=PA42& dq=The+ History+ Of+ The+ Decline+ And+ Fall+ Of+ The+ Roman+ Empire+ vol. + 4& hl=de&sa=X& ei=-zhEUqyWNcbGswb1tYGIBQ& ved=0CIoBEOgBMAk#v=onepage&q=The%20History%20Of%20The%20Decline%20And%20Fall%20Of%20The%20Roman%20Empire%20vol.%204& f=false

Further reading• Brownley, Martine W. "Appearance and Reality in Gibbon's History," Journal of the History of Ideas 38,4

(1977), 651–666.• Brownley, Martine W. "Gibbon's Artistic and Historical Scope in the Decline and Fall," Journal of the History of

Ideas 42,4(1981), 629–642.• Cosgrove, Peter. Impartial Stranger: History and Intertextuality in Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman

Empire (Newark: Associated University Presses, 1999); [ISBN 0-87413-658-X].• Craddock, Patricia. "Historical Discovery and Literary Invention in Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall'," Modern

Philology 85,4(May 1988), 569–587.• Drake, H.A., "Lambs into Lions: explaining early Christian intolerance," Past and Present 153(1996), 3–36.

Oxford Journals (http:/ / past. oxfordjournals. org/ cgi/ reprint/ 153/ 1/ 3)• Furet, Francois. "Civilization and Barbarism in Gibbon's History," Daedalus 105,3(1976), 209–216.• Gay, Peter. Style in History (New York: Basic Books, 1974); [ISBN 0-465-08304-8].• Ghosh, Peter R. "Gibbon's Dark Ages: Some Remarks on the Genesis of the Decline and Fall," Journal of Roman

Studies 73(1983), 1–23.• Homer-Dixon, Thomas "The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity and the Renewal of Civilization", 2007

[ISBN 978-0-676-97723-3] Chapter 3 pp. 57–60• Kelly, Christopher. "A Grand Tour: Reading Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall'," Greece & Rome 2nd ser., 44,1 (Apr.

1997), 39–58.• Momigliano, Arnaldo. "Eighteenth-Century Prelude to Mr. Gibbon," in Pierre Ducrey et al., eds., Gibbon et Rome

à la lumière de l'historiographie moderne (Geneva: Librairie Droz, 1977).• Momigliano, Arnaldo. "Gibbon from an Italian Point of View," in G.W. Bowersock et al., eds., Edward Gibbon

and the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1977).• Momigliano, Arnaldo. "Declines and Falls," American Scholar 49(Winter 1979), 37–51.• Momigliano, Arnaldo. "After Gibbon's Decline and Fall," in Kurt Weitzmann, ed. Age of Spirituality : a

symposium (Princeton: 1980); [ISBN 0-89142-039-8].• Pocock, J.G.A. Barbarism and Religion, 4 vols. all Cambridge Univ. Press.

• vol. 1, The Enlightenments of Edward Gibbon, 1737–1764, 1999 [hb: ISBN 0-521-63345-1]. cited as "Pocock,EEG";

• vol. 2, Narratives of Civil Government, 1999 [hb: ISBN 0-521-64002-4];• vol. 3, The First Decline and Fall, 2003 [pb: ISBN 0-521-82445-1]. cited as "Pocock, FDF."• vol. 4, Barbarians, Savages and Empires, 2005 [hb: ISBN 0-521-85625-6].• The Work of J.G.A. Pocock: Edward Gibbon section.

• Trevor-Roper, H.R. "Gibbon and the Publication of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1776–1976,"Journal of Law and Economics 19,3 (Oct. 1976), 489–505.

• Womersley, David. The Transformation of 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' (Cambridge: 1988).

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 8

• Womersley, David, ed. Religious Scepticism: Contemporary Responses to Gibbon (Bristol, England: ThoemmesPress, 1997).

• Wootton, David. "Narrative, Irony, and Faith in Gibbon's Decline and Fall," History and Theory 33,4 (Dec.,1994), 77–105.

External links• The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (http:/ / www. gutenberg. org/ catalog/ world/

authrec?fk_authors=375) author record at Project Gutenberg. Based on the Rev. H.H. Milman edition of 1845.• The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (http:/ / oll. libertyfund. org/ index.

php?option=com_staticxt& staticfile=show. php?title=1681& Itemid=27) from the Online Library of Liberty. TheJ. B. Bury edition, in 12 volumes.

• Memoirs of My Life and Writings at Project Gutenberg• The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (http:/ / books. google. com/

books?id=YrJGPLuSHmoC), Google Book Search ( pdf version (http:/ / books. google. com/ books/ pdf/The_History_of_the_Decline_and_Fall_of_t. pdf?id=YrJGPLuSHmoC& output=pdf&sig=O7cVAyGFrhdKJfoHc9EM1hOR3Sk))

• Full text at Christian Classics Etheral Library (http:/ / www. ccel. org/ ccel/ gibbon/ decline/ files/ decline. html)• EdwardGibbonStudies.com: Web Center for Edward Gibbon Studies (http:/ / www. EdwardGibbonStudies. com)• DeclineandFallResources.com: Maps, Translations, Illustrations (http:/ / www. DeclineandFallResources. com)• Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Audiobook (http:/ / archive. org/ details/ Decline_and_Fall_Audiobook)

from the Internet Archive.

Article Sources and Contributors 9

Article Sources and ContributorsThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=579996648  Contributors: 28421u2232nfenfcenc, AdamBMorgan, Adelbrecht,Aeosynth, Aeusoes1, Afterwriting, Akriasas, Alansohn, Alex S, Alex1011, Alexthe5th, Alisonsage, AllanBz, Alphabet55, Anaxial, Andrew c, Angel ivanov angelov, Antiquary, Ariel.,Arkalochori, Arkuat, ArmadilloFromHell, Athkalani, BalfourCentre, Barticus88, Bazuz, Bcasterline, Beanyk, Binabik80, Blainster, Bobo192, Bodnotbod, BrainyBabe, Bthomson, Buchraeumer,C.Logan, CJGillis, CalJW, Caltas, CanadianLinuxUser, Carl.bunderson, CatherineMunro, Celuici, Charles Matthews, Chika11, Chinasaur, Christopher Parham, Collabi, ConfuciusOrnis, ConorKenny, Conversion script, Cplakidas, Credema, Cuchullain, CyrilThePig4, DBWikis, Dahnielson, Dampinograaf, David Merrill, Davidmerzig, Dbenbenn, Dcoetzee, DeLarge, DePiep, Delanor,Delirium, DerHexer, Diego Moya, Diespiter, Diiscool, DinnerDude, Discospinster, Dmerrill, DocWatson42, Dorro, Dpmuk, DrCruse, Drosdaf, Durova, EALacey, ESkog, Ed Poor, Elassint,Encephalon, Everyking, Ewx, Exploding Boy, Fanghong, Fatidiot1234, Filippo Argenti, FiveColourMap, FlashSheridan, Fokker10, ForbiddenWord, Fusionmix, G.W., Gakrivas, Geriech,Gjmulder, Gmlacey, Gomm, GraemeL, Graham87, GreatWhiteNortherner, GregorB, Grendelkhan, Grstain, Gunnar Hendrich, Gwilmont, Hafspajen, Hagerman, Harvestman, Haunti, Helix84,Hmains, Hrothberht, Ilfigo17, IronGargoyle, J04n, JRM, JW1805, JaGa, Jac curran, Jayron32, Jcasman, Jdkreis, Jeffq, Jimbo Wales, Jleybov, Jlpspinto, Jmacwiki, Jmlk17, JoDonHo, Joaotg,JohnChrysostom, Johnbod, Johnuniq, Kansas Bear, Karthikndr, Katalaveno, KazakhPol, Kbdank71, Keilana, Kinneyboy90, Kironide, Kjøller, Kribbeh, Kungfuadam, Kyoko, Lacrimosus, LilacSoul, Lincolnite, Llywrch, Logan, LoveWaffle, LovesMacs, Lquilter, Lugia2453, M-le-mot-dit, M.krause, MGodwin, MRDXII, Mackan79, Mais oui!, Majesty9012, MakeRocketGoNow,Manicsleeper, Mark Arsten, MarkBolton, Markbeaulieu, MastCell, Meelar, Mel Byars, MeltBanana, MichaelTinkler, Michaelissuperduperawesome, Modest Genius, Mrwojo, Muad, Mxn, NebY,Neddyseagoon, Neelix, NeilN, NeoJustin, Neokamek, Neoplatonic, NewEnglandYankee, NickW557, Nikkimaria, Nine Tail Fox, Nishkid64, Nlu, Northamerica1000, Noxmax, Olivier,Ortolan88, Owen, PRiis, Panairjdde, Panarjedde, Paul August, Paul Barlow, Pegship, Pekayer11, Petri Krohn, Pi zero, Pianoman320, Pilotguy, Pinethicket, Pmanderson, Polisher of Cobwebs,Popadopolis, Postdlf, QVanillaQ, Quarkgluonsoup, Quentin X, Qwertyus, R'n'B, Ramanpotential, Ravenhull, RayBirks, Rdsmith4, Reddi, Redvers, Rholton, Rich Farmbrough, Richard Keatinge,Rjensen, Rodrigo767, Rojypala, RoyGoldsmith, Rsquire3, RussBlau, Rwflammang, S4mme, SDC, SGGH, Saddhiyama, Sanjit1993, Sannse, Savidan, Sceptre, Sentience, Sharkface217, Shirik,Silverhorse, Singularity, Sligocki, Smerus, Spestan13, Spondoolicks, Spoon!, Srajan01, Srich32977, Stbalbach, Stefanomione, Stephenb, Steve Casburn, Stevewk, Striver, Swokm, Swpb, T3h1337 b0y, TOO, Tbleher, Teh tennisman, Temporaluser, The Mysterious El Willstro, The Rambling Man, The ed17, TheProject, Thesilverbail, Thisismadness, Timmarston, Tony Webster,Trilby*foxglove, Triquetra, Truthnlove, Ttwaring, Tuckerresearch, Tulocci, Uncle Dick, Vassto, Vicenarian, Vincent Moon, Ward3001, Wassermann, Wereon, Werieth, Whiteghost.ink, Wikidea,Willhsmit, Willkirkpatrick, Woohookitty, Xaliqen, Xsxex, YellowMonkey, Yom, Yooden, Zara1709, Zhinz, ZxxZxxZ, דניאל צבי, Ɱ, 436 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Edward Gibbon by Henry Walton cleaned.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Edward_Gibbon_by_Henry_Walton_cleaned.jpg  License: Public Domain Contributors: Henry Walton (died 1813)

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