The Inevitable Fall of Empires

Rome didn't collapse from barbarian invasions. That's the story we tell ourselves. The empire actually

died from something far more boring. Lead poisoning from their water pipes. Inflation so bad

a loaf of bread cost more than a house. And here's the kicker. They kept debasing

their currency to fund endless wars nobody wanted. Sound familiar? By the time the

Visigoths showed up, Rome was already a corpse. The barbarians just

knocked on an open door. We remember the dramatic fall, but ignore the slow

rot that made it inevitable. Empires don't get conquered. They commit suicide.