Quote Originally Posted by AdrianII
Exactly. For the same reason, I am sure that Hurin would agree with you that without the institutional inheritance of the Roman Empire, in particular Roman law, the long period of fragmentation that followed wouldn't have been nearly as fruitful.
Yes, indeed. The reason I chose the fall rather than the rise of the Empire is that European civilzation is usually seen as first arising AFTER Rome, in the period of Charlemagne. Before that, the civilization that dominated the area was that of Greece and Rome, centred on the Mediterranean rather than on Europe. So if you're talking about the birth of Europe, the first event really is the fall. Europe was heavily dependent on the heritage of Greece and Rome, but it was something quite different than both.