1. Critical Thinking 1 - Discuss the differences in these four accounts. What conflicting details strike you as the most important? 2. Critical Thinking 2 Based on your own assessment, rank the accuracy of these accounts with one being most believable and four being least believable.

1)

2)
3)

4)

3. Critical Thinking 3: Explain why you rank each source as you do. Why is one more believable than another? Include your interpretation of the speaker, the date recorded, personal motives, etc.

The Roman general Odoacer overthrew the last Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus.

Explanation:

The very act of the fall of the Western Roman Empire is a classic act of military coup. The young emperor Romulus Augustulus did not have the capacity to oppose the Roman general. After the fall of the empire, Odoacer did not want to execute the Roman emperor, which is enough to say that he did not pose any threat. The fall of the Roman Empire is the product of decades of weakening of the empire's institutions. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Rome was not destroyed since its eastern half, also known as Byzantium, continued to exist for about 1,000 years.