Department or Program
History
Abstract
This thesis attempts to widen the existing body of literature regarding the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire by adding the contributions of the Sassanid Empire to the literary discussion. The argument of this thesis will be that the Sassanid Empire exacerbated structural weaknesses in several facets of the Roman imperial system to an extent that the Sassanid Empire must be considered a necessary and contributory cause in the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire. The source evidence will be drawn from contemporary literary sources, archeological evidence, and numismatic analysis. This thesis will not posit a monocausal argument regarding the Sassanid Empire and its effect on the fall of the Western Roman Empire, rather it will emphasize the role that the Sassanid Empire must play in a more nuanced and multi-causal thesis on the subject.
Level of Access
Open Access
First Advisor
Jones, Michael
Date of Graduation
Spring 5-2015
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Recommended Citation
Strunc, Nicholas Vladimir and Strunc, Nicholas Vladimir, "What Role Did the Sassanid Empire Truly Play in the Fall of the Western Roman Empire? Exploring Divergences in Causal Frameworks" (2015). Honors Theses. 145.
https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/145
Number of Pages
85
Open Access
Available to all.