Originally Posted By: redewenur
Anyway, in the case of Rome, here are some proposed contributory factors:

- Over expansion and dilution by foreign cultures
- Economic unsustainability: trade deficit, hoarding of bullion, looting by barbarians.
- Disownment and isolation of Roman communities in foreign lands (Britain, for example), due to the above.
- Religious controversy (already)
- Vandals
- Division of the Empire into east and west
- Lead poisoning (already)
I ran across a little info. re: parallels with US and Romans.

Roman Empire parallel: They eventually outsourced their military to Visagoths, Vandals, Assyrians, Egyptians, etc., as well as using private armies. ...Haliburton, KBR, Blackwater, etc....


Pyrolysis creates reduced carbon! ...Time for the next step in our evolutionary symbiosis with fire.