I have to believe that whoever came up with that theory for the first time was aided in coming to it by thinking about the end of the Roman Empire, when something precisely like that did happen.

我想任何人第一次接触该理论,都会自动联想到罗马帝国的衰亡,进而支持该理论,因为类似的事情确实曾经发生过

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选