(December 19, 2010 at 2:45 am)DeistPaladin Wrote:(December 17, 2010 at 11:44 pm)Minimalist Wrote: More like 150
Really, it's a tough call exactly. Rome (western empire) went out with a whimper rather than a bang.
The date often given is 476 when the final emperor officially abdicated. However, by that time, he abdicated because he was an emperor without an actual empire to rule. The fall of Rome began about 100 years prior at the battle of Adrianople. Italy was overrun by the Visigoths in the first part of the fifth century, with Rome sacked in 410. Rome was sacked even more thoroughly by the Vandals in 455. The Ostrogoths moved in shortly afterwords. After about 20 years, they finally told the Roman emperor his services were no longer needed.
I know...but a comatose patient is still alive until his heart stops beating. That's when they fill out the death certificate.
