[gothic-l] Gothic Advantages

[Bertil Haggman]

Ingemar and Tore,

American Professor Carroll Quigley (1910-1977) was a leading
civilizationist and Professor of History at the Foreign
Service School of Georgetown University, having taught
at Harvard and Princeton.

He remarked in his outstanding _The Evolution of
Civilizations_ that Rome's weakness put it in a terrible
situation in face of mainly the Goths. The Roman Legion could
no longer withstand the charging Gothic horsemen.

This was new because Rome had not to face this earlier. Adequate
rain on the Northern Grasslands, century after century, reduced
the tendency for barbarians to move. But decreased rainfall
after AD 200 created a pressure of moving pastoral peoples
that became irresistable.

Rome would have to shift from infantry to cavalry quickly. This was
of course impossible because the weakened Classical economic
system could not support a large number of horses. Being grain-eating
animals they competed for food directly with man. Agriculture in the
Mediterranean economy was weak. It was based on institutionalized
slavery and could not produce such a surplus. Yet without cavalry society
could not resist the Goths.

To be continued.

Would you have any comments on this reasoning by Professor Quigley?

Gothically

Bertil


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