WE ALL KNOW WHEN ROME FELL, BUT WHEN DID THE ROT SET IN?

The reasons for Rome's collapse are well known, namely depopulation, debasement of the currency, and the increasing reliance on Foederati (barbarian soldiers). YouTuber Maiorianus argues that all these trends can be traced back to the so-called "Golden Age" of the Roman Empire in the late 2nd century, when the Antonines ruled, when a deadly plague from the East weakened the Romans through their bathing culture and brought barbarian invasions that could only be fought off by debasing the currency and diluting the army with barbarians -- after which rinse and repeat!

Also published at Empires & Revolution