Savage invasions, crushing battlefield defeats, sacked cities, unlucky rulers put to death: These are the kinds of stories that usually come to mind when we think of the end of an empire. “Fall” conjures up images of fluted temple columns toppling to the ground, pulled down by fur-clad barbarians straining to destroy something beautiful. The fall of an empire is supposed to be a dramatic thing. Check out our most recent coverage of the coronavirus crisis, and subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.
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