03-29-2004, 04:16 PM
Important external forces, like environmental change, have always intrigued me, though they have been traditionally ignored by historians since they have been (until very recently, anyway) entirely outside human control, and generally outside human understanding.<br>
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For instance, when studying the Roman era, I’ve always considered the year 165 AD as a true turning point. Beginning with this date, Rome became for the first time subject to forces completely outside of her control. Many of these forces (epidemiological change, demographic change, environmental change) were so interlinked that untangling their various and crucial interrelationships is (to me anyway) impossible. To put it very simply, beginning in 165 AD Rome, for the first time, was forced to face the severe epidemiological consequences a large, densely populated “empireâ€ÂÂ
<br>
For instance, when studying the Roman era, I’ve always considered the year 165 AD as a true turning point. Beginning with this date, Rome became for the first time subject to forces completely outside of her control. Many of these forces (epidemiological change, demographic change, environmental change) were so interlinked that untangling their various and crucial interrelationships is (to me anyway) impossible. To put it very simply, beginning in 165 AD Rome, for the first time, was forced to face the severe epidemiological consequences a large, densely populated “empireâ€ÂÂ
