As of the 2nd century AD, the Roman Empire measured nearly 3,000 miles from east to west and nearly 2,000 miles from north to south, with its total area approximately half the continental United States territory. Its population in this period, at its peak under Augustus, had increased from 50 million to as many as 70 million. At that time, only the Chinese Empire had a population comparable to that of the Roman Empire, and no other human group under one government was as large as these two. The era of “decline and fall” began with the death of Marcus Aurelius. in 180 AD, in which the great era of the Pax Romana ended. There was evidence from scholars who wrote hundreds of volumes about the problems faced by the empire, suggesting that several weakening forces were at work. Around the middle of the third century, the combination of dwindling resources, political divisions, and growing barbarian strength led to the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. As a result, the empire seemed on the verge of collapse. of civil wars as barbarian tribal confederations ravaged the empire from Gaul to the Black Sea, just as Spain and Greece were plundered by barbarian gangs. A revived Persian kingdom overthrew the Parthian kingdom in the East, and those same rulers sought to revive the great empire of previous centuries. Persia, at Rome's expense, was devastating the provinces of the Middle East. With these events unfolding, the entire empire seemed on the verge of collapse. The rescue of the decaying Roman Empire finally came, in 284 AD, when the ruler Diocletian came to power. He, unlike the rulers who preceded him, had the cunning and luck to survive, as a determined visionary and...... middle of paper... at the service of the new leaders, the Germanic kings. History normally has a way of providing evidence of how things should really be. Critics might conclude that the “fall of Rome” could have been avoided. Of course, "if a bullfrog had wings, it wouldn't flap its tail when it jumped," in other words, it is what it is. Of course the “fall of Rome” could have been avoided. I firmly believe in fate, and when you consider all the barbaric and economic problems the Romans faced, it would have been nothing short of a miracle for them to overcome those adversities. For me the fall of Rome was really meant to happen, and not to take it lightly, but life went on. It has truly been a fascinating journey for everyone involved, into the trenches of an era that truly shaped the world for centuries to come. Works Cited A Brief History of the Western World