Abstract: It is a common sense in modern society that the Roman Empire was permanently divided or split into the Eastern and Western Empires in 395.However,this common sense is fundamentally different from people’s understanding at that time.Whether in the records of the imperial historians or in terms of institution and ideology at that time,there existed no split of the empire at all.It was only a division in administration,and the unity of the empire remained.This active division interpretation was continued in later historical records.In the late 18th century,during the Enlightenment’s general concern about the fate of the Roman Empire,Edward Gibbon began to interpret the division as a split or separation.The nation-state interpretation model he pioneered was finally completed by George Finley,and the history of Rome was also transformed into the struggle of the Greeks against foreign slavery and for national independence.The division of 395 A.D.also changed from active partition to passive split of two nations or even countries in opposition.In the late 19th century,the split theory gradually became popular through academic research and education,and was accepted as a common sense,becoming a general expression in historical research and textbooks,and has not changed to this day.For historians,whether the empire is divided or split,they are all influenced by the time and ideas in which they live,and all have merits of their own.

Key words: 395A.D., division of the Roman Empire, active partition, passive split