By Miranda Pacheco, Sidney Tookes & Darrell Johnson,II

ROMANEMPIRE

Economic Difficulties● Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and

inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor.

● In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms

● Rome’s economy depended on slaves to till and work as craftsman, and its military might have provided a fresh influx of conquered peoples to put to workThe Roman Empire acquired money by taxation or by finding new sources of wealth, like land. However, it had reached its furthest limits by the time of the second good emperor, Trajan,, during the period of the high empire (96-180), so land acquisition was no longer an option. As Rome lost territory, it also lost its revenue base.

Barbarians Take Over● By the late fifth century CE barbarians had built their kingdoms within the imperial borders, most

emperors were figureheads, and the imperial institutions had already crumbled.● In 378 the Goths destroyed the entire eastern Roman army at Adrianople, and emperor Valens fell on the

battlefield.● Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s “barbarian” groups like the Goths

had encroached beyond the Empire’s borders.● The Barbarian attacks on Rome partially stemmed from a mass migration caused by the Huns’ invasion

of Europe in the late fourth century.

The Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire

Collapsing of the Gupta Empire

● The decline of the Gupta empire was impacted by the weak rulers in power● 320-550 CE● As time went on rulers became lazy and in less control of the empire,

resulting in war and invasion of the Huns● Gupta did not have a strong trade system which lead to a weak economy ● The common people refused to pay taxes resulting in no source of income

Gupta vs White Huns● With the death of Skandagupta, this made it easier for the Huns to invade

Gupta and take the land with ease● Constant wars took a drain on the Gupta economy due to the expense of

each battle ● 1st invasion weakened the Gupta empire while the 2nd destroyed the

empire● Completely collapsed 550 CE● White Huns set Buddhists on fire and killed government officials in order to

gain power of the people ● Dominated the Gangas valley

The Mauryan Empire 323B.C.E- 185B.CE

● Before the empire began little states formed along the northern part of India.

● The common religions were buddhism and Jainism ( a nontheistic religion that teaches perfection through succession lives, noninjurying live creatures, and is noted for it’s ascetics.

● It’s government had a similar diplomatic system as the greek empire.● Buddhism seemed to flourish in this empire.

The fall of the Mauryan empire● After the remarkable king Asoka passed, he was followed by weak rulers.● Just like the Roman and Han empire, the Mauryan empire began to fill with

dishonest governors and the money that was sent to the king became less and less,

● Due to the fact this empire was highly centralized, As soon as the central government weakened a domino effect happened with all administration,

● The Brahmanical revolt against Buddhism and Asoka’s successors.● The economy became bad forcing the government to raise taxes and

debase coins.● The Partiition of the Empire into two halves.

The Han Dynasty: 206BCE-220CE

● Followed the Qin dynasty (short and cruel period)● The capital was Chang'an● Many achievements included the Silk road and

creating paper.● Homogeneous population of a Chinese race.● Valued their ancestors and eldest man in the house

had the most power.

Collapse of the Han Dynasty

● The government had trouble collecting taxes to fund the court and support the army.

● Overpopulation● Social classes began to gain more power than

the emperor.● Revolts against the government (yellow

turbans)● Earthquakes which made rebuilding a

burden

Timeline

Start Of Roman Empire 27 BC

End Of Roman Empire 476 CE

Start Of Gupta Empire 375 CE

End Of Gupta Empire 550 CE

Start Of Mauryan Empire 323 BC

End Of Mauryan Empire 185 BC

Start Of Han Empire 206 BC

End Of Han Empire 220 BC

BibliographyFait, Stefano. " decline and fall of ancient Rome." In Ackermann, Marsha E., Michael Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters, eds.Encyclopedia of World History: The Ancient World, Prehistoric Eras to 600 CE, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE49&iPin=WHI339&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 13 2014)

A&E Television Networks. "8 Reasons Why Rome Fell." History.com. http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-why-rome-fell (accessed October 11, 2014).

"Chapter 12 – The Gupta Empire and the White Huns." Chapter 12 – The Gupta Empire and the White Huns. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ibiblio.org/britishraj/Jackson2/chapter12.html>.Chapter 5- mauryan empire.