At midnight on 24 August, 410 C.E., slaves quietly opened Rome's Salaria gate. The waiting Visigoths poured through the narrow passage, trumpets blaring and torches held high. The first sack of Rome in 8 centuries has often been cited as the moment when one of the world's largest, wealthiest, and most sophisticated empires died a violent death. For researchers struggling to understand how societies collapse, Rome's fall has served as a model and a touchstone.
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