AND ITS INHABITANTS 191 



dated. The other sinister event was an increase in malaria, 

 which Jones^ has shown to have played an important part in 

 diminishing the vigor of both the Greeks and Romans. Its 

 increase was apparently due to the fact that the decline in rain- 

 fall caused a diminution in the amount of vegetation on the 

 mountains. Hence the streams washed down an undue amount 

 of silt which filled up their beds in the lowlands and caused 

 *hem to wander widely and form great swamps. These were 

 ideal breeding places for the anopheles mosquito which is the 

 carrier of malaria. 



After the period of depression in the second century B. c, 

 Rome recovered somewhat during a period of favorable 

 climate culminating about the time of Christ. Yet she never 

 was quite restored to her former energy and glory. A century 

 or two later, in the early part of the Christian era, there began 

 a climatic decline which culminated in the seventh century. 

 Since crops were no longer profitable, the land was used for 

 grazing purposes, the methods of agriculture became slipshod 

 and unprofitable, and the farms fell into the hands of a few 

 large owners. The great number of sheep and goats not only 

 added to the difficulties of agriculture by their ravages upon 

 the fields, but ate up the seedling trees and thus prevented the 

 growth of new forests. Hence the soil was washed away from 

 the hillsides, with distressing consequences. 



With this agricultural decline there arose political diffi- 

 culties. Taxes which had previously been easily paid became 

 onerous. Agrariari reforms were even more necessary than in 

 the days of the Gracci, but they were much harder to make. 

 The people flocked to the city In order to get work and thereby 

 share in some of the wealth which came to Rome because of 

 her conquests. This, however, only increased the evils. 

 Democracy gave place to plutocracy, and thus to despotism. 

 At this same time the nomads in the drier parts of the lands 



» Jones, J. H. S., "Malaria, a Neglected Factor in History." 



