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Article: The BARBARIAN Threat.(ancient Roman empire)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- January 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The period between A.D. 250 and 410, when Alaric invaded Rome, proved to be one of major changes in Europe. Until then, the Roman Empire had been the dominant power in the area, but by the mid-200s its leaders and generals were finding it increasingly difficult to defend Rome's outlying districts. Tribes beyond these lands recognized this weakness and began crossing the borders.
Among the tribes who pushed south and west toward Rome were the Goths. Originally from an area in southern Sweden, they began to move across Europe in the first century B.C., until finally, around A.D. 230, they settled near the Black Sea on the northeastern edge of the Roman Empire (the ...