Historian suggests Roman Empire collapse delayed technology

Spanish historian and scholar of Roman engineering, Isaac Moreno Gallo, suggests that the collapse of the Roman Empire may have delayed human technological progress by centuries. He posits that if Rome had not fallen, humanity might have reached the Moon 1,000 years ago.

Moreno Gallo argues that the fall of the empire caused a profound technological and institutional rupture. The disappearance of Roman political and administrative structures led to the loss of technical knowledge accumulated over centuries. He explains that the kingdoms emerging after the collapse lacked the necessary resources to fund specialized artisans, maintain massive inherited infrastructure, or transfer technical expertise to subsequent generations.

This loss of engineering and construction knowledge marked a significant turning point for Western technological development. Moreno Gallo has linked his theory to ideas expressed by American astronomer Carl Sagan, who viewed the fall of Rome as a missed opportunity for scientific progress, though there is no evidence Sagan literally claimed humanity would have reached the Moon sooner.