Question

the roman empire, han dynasty, and gupta empire all followed a similar pattern

• each formed when several __________ regions united.
• each thrived for __________ of years.
• each fell due to a combination of outside ________ and internal ________ problems.

the collapse of the roman empire
the roman empire was the ____ of its time. at its peak, the empire included most of __, north __, and parts of the ____.
these are some of the reasons for the roman empire’s decline:
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• government officials became corrupt.

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• the army was too spread out to defend its borders.

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the empire splits in two

first christian emperor	eastern capital of roman empire	last emperor to rule both regions of roman empire	year that roman empire fell	year that the byzantine empire fell

invaders in western europe
complete this table to summarize information about the tribes that invaded the roman empire.

tribe	region	religion	language	roman perspective
	germany
	france
vandals, visigoths, ostrogoths

Explanation:

Filled in the blanks and tables using established historical facts about the Roman, Han, and Gupta empires, and the tribes that invaded the Western Roman Empire.

Answer:

Similar Empire Pattern

• Each formed when several independent regions united.
• Each thrived for hundreds of years.
• Each fell due to a combination of outside invaders and internal political/social problems.

The Collapse of the Roman Empire (completed blanks + additional decline reasons)

The Roman Empire was the largest empire of its time. At its peak, the empire included most of Europe, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East.
Additional reasons for decline:

• High taxes burdened the population
• Economic instability and inflation
• Overreliance on slave labor
• Weak and ineffective emperors

The Empire Splits in Two

First Christian Emperor	Eastern Capital of Roman Empire	Last Emperor to Rule Both Regions of Roman Empire	Year That Roman Empire Fell	Year That the Byzantine Empire Fell

Invaders in Western Europe

Tribe	Region	Religion	Language	Roman Perspective
Franks	Germany	Pagan (later Christian)	Old Frankish (Germanic)	A powerful, eventually allied tribe
Gauls (later Franks)	France	Pagan (later Christian)	Gaulish (Celtic) / Old Frankish	A conquered people who later formed their own kingdom
Vandals, Visigoths, Ostrogoths	Eastern Europe/Black Sea region	Pagan (later Arian Christian)	Gothic (Germanic)	Destructive raiders who sacked cities and seized Roman lands