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→The fall of civilizations
There have been many explanations put forward for the collapse of civilization.
There have been many explanations put forward for the collapse of civilization.
'''[[Edward Gibbon|Edward Gibbon's]]''' massive work ''"[[The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]"'' began an interest in the Fall of Civilizations, that had begun with the [[historical divisions]] of [[Petrarch]]<ref>http://www.artsci.lsu.edu/voegelin/EVS/Panel72001.htm|Petrarch</ref> between the [[Classical antiquity|Classical period]] of [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Rome]], the succeeding [[Middle Ages|Medieval Ages]], and the [[Renaissance]]. For Gibbon:-
'''[[Edward Gibbon|Edward Gibbon's]]''' massive work ''"[[The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]"'' began an interest in the Fall of Civilizations, that had begun with the [[historical divisions]] of [[Petrarch]] [http://www.artsci.lsu.edu/voegelin/EVS/Panel72001.htm|Petrarch] between the [[Classical antiquity|Classical period]] of [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Rome]], the succeeding [[Middle Ages|Medieval Ages]], and the [[Renaissance]]. For Gibbon:-
''"The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the cause of the destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and, as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight. The story of the ruin is simple and obvious; and instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it has subsisted for so long."''[Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 2nd ed., vol. 4, ed. by J. B. Bury (London, 1909), pp. 173-174.] Gibbon suggested the final act of the collapse of Rome was the fall of [[Constantinople]] to the [[Ottoman Turks]] in 1453 AD.
''"The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the cause of the destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and, as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight. The story of the ruin is simple and obvious; and instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it has subsisted for so long."''[Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 2nd ed., vol. 4, ed. by J. B. Bury (London, 1909), pp. 173-174.] Gibbon suggested the final act of the collapse of Rome was the fall of [[Constantinople]] to the [[Ottoman Turks]] in 1453 AD.