How the African Moors Re-Civilized Europe After centuries of survival and empire-building, Europe slipped backward when Rome fell in the 5th century CE. Once-thriving cities became centers of decay. Public baths closed, aqueducts crumbled, and water was feared rather than valued. Streets overflowed with waste, and plagues spread through towns that had forgotten the basic art of cleanliness. Then, in 711 CE, Africa returned to the continent’s story. The Moors, made up of Black Berbers and brown-s