From the 3rd century AD, the survival of the Roman Empire was threatened by attack from outside and by internal conflicts. "Barbarian" tribes crossed the eastern borders of the empire in Europe, either drawn by the desire for land and plunder, or fleeing pressure from other nomadic peoples advancing behind them. In the Middle East, the revived Persian Empire menaced the supremacy of Rome's armies. The Romans reorganized their empire to face these new threats, but by the 5th century their rule in western Europe was doomed. `@The pillaging of Rome@
This 15th century miniature illustrates a manuscript of Saint Augustine's ºThe City of Godº, written shortly after Rome was sacked by Alaric the Visigoth in AD 410. Augustine, who dedicated his book to God, considered that the downfall of Rome had been a long time in coming, and that the Christians were in no way responsible.
