From a societal standpoint it has been posited that [[immorality]] and [[homosexuality]] so weakened the spirit of the Empire that it was unable to stand firm against the Barbarians. Certainly poets such as [[Catullus]] and [[Juvenal]] describe many unnatural practices that may well have contributed to the final collapse hundreds of years later. Well known British writer [[Edward Gibbon]], who wrote the influential ''[[Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]'' was an [[advocate]] of this view. While his book stood the test of time as a masterpiece of Roman history, even being required reading in some American schools for the first half of the 20th century, modern historians seek answers in other areas. | From a societal standpoint it has been posited that [[immorality]] and [[homosexuality]] so weakened the spirit of the Empire that it was unable to stand firm against the Barbarians. Certainly poets such as [[Catullus]] and [[Juvenal]] describe many unnatural practices that may well have contributed to the final collapse hundreds of years later. Well known British writer [[Edward Gibbon]], who wrote the influential ''[[Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]'' was an [[advocate]] of this view. While his book stood the test of time as a masterpiece of Roman history, even being required reading in some American schools for the first half of the 20th century, modern historians seek answers in other areas. |