Edward Gibbon wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in 1776; it remains a definitive work today.

In the 20th century Joseph Painter hypothesized that the fall of the Empire, long presumed a catastrophe, was probably desirable in the eyes of many individuals of the day.

Lead poisoning has been postulated as a mayor cause for the decline of Rome because the metal was not only used to seal wine amphoras and welding of many things including lead water-supply pipes. Canned foods that arose in the 18th century proved a disaster for a British Artic expedition in the 19th century. Lead was still used for simbolic sealing of wine bottles way into the 20th century.