The Fall of the Roman Empire Explains the fate of Rome in the West in the course of the 3rd to 5th centuries AD. Accounts for the role of Christianity for both the Roman West and East.

Did the Roman Empire really fall? What would later be known as the Byzantine Empire wasn't just an extension of the Roman Empire; it was part of the empire itself that flourished for nearly another millennia. The Western Roman Empire simply declined into a state of existence that made it vulnerable to invaders and was eventually overran by barbarian tribes. Rome had essentially been declining since 180 AD when civil wars occurred up until 285 AD and …

…the downfall of the western Roman Empire. The Roman Empire may have fell in the sense of a unified country, but it was the idea of Rome that lived on. The Romans had extended the Greek culture as well as developed a form of law that is used as an example for today's world. "While the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand: When the Colosseum falls, Rome shall fall: When Rome falls, the world shall fall."