Debunked Myths

The deposition of the last Western Roman emperor in 476 AD has become one of history's most iconic bookmarks, symbolizing the dramatic 'fall of Rome' and the beginning of the Dark Ages. However, this event was barely noticed at the time and only marked the end for half the empire. The Eastern Roman Empire, with its magnificent capital at Constantinople, remained not only intact but flourishing for another millennium.

Its citizens never called themselves 'Byzantines'—they considered themselves 'Rhomaioi,' Romans. They preserved Roman law, Greek philosophy, and classical literature while Western Europe fragmented. Under emperors like Justinian, they reconquered vast territories including Italy and North Africa. The empire weathered centuries of attacks from Persians, Arabs, and Crusaders before finally falling to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

The myth of a single, catastrophic fall was largely crafted by later historians seeking a clean narrative break between antiquity and medieval times. The truth is far more complex: Roman power didn't collapse but transformed and relocated eastward, maintaining a continuous imperial tradition for a thousand years after the West's decline.