I. General – II. Greek Views – III. Roman Views
I. General
Decay/decline (cf. decadence, degeneration; inclinatio; Ger. Verfall) refers to a process of gradual deterioration that ends in sudden catastrophe (Gk καταστροφή), destruction, disintegration, slow dissolution, or ruin (Gk φϑορά/phthorá), unless it is averted by reform or renaissance. Decay/decline is the corresponding antonym of progress, an – often polemically employed – motif for the description, classification (periodiz…