Rome abandoned in the 6th century AD

[Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy]

The city saw a population decline in that period and was attacked several times during Belisarius' Italian campaign. WI it had gone through so much trouble (add a few more attacks and a serious plague) that it ended up being mostly deserted? This happened to other great cities of Antiquity: Persepolis, Seleucia, Carthage, Thebes (both the one in Greece and the one in Egypt), Babylon, Sardis, Miletus, Heliopolis, Veii, Nineveh, Ctesiphon, Sybaris, Uruk, Memphis, Ephesus, Cyrene.

[Iñaki]

Well; I think is possible but improbable if you see the list the most part of these cities are in Egypt and Middle East with the exception of Thebes (but Thebes was not so important than Rome in Middle Ages) , Rome is a very important city for his history to let it abandoned (could be briefly but at the ende the city would be another time important)

Certainly the war of Byzantine Empire against the goths devastated all Italy and marks the decline of the city of Rome and all the classical culture that survives the fall of the Western Empire.

I think at the end because the great history of the city and as seat of the Pope it would repopulate although no doubt that Rome would be a lot of different than in OTL.

[Gedca]

I think at the end because the great history of the city and as seat of the Pope it would repopulate although no doubt that Rome would be a lot of different than in OTL.So then the pope needs to move too then?

[Iñaki]

Surely, could be go to Ravenna although this means is under byzantine influence, hmmm it is an interesting question, to avoid byzantine influence, well is possible provisionally go to frankish kingdom.

[TyrannusZero]

I don't think Rome would ever be abandoned just because of the importance it holds in Western Germanic Europe at the time.

[basileus]

I think Rome's survival as a living city has been due exclusively to its role as seat of the Papcy. Otherwise, it would been abadoned, though never forgot and likely refounded in later times, say by Charles the Great.

[highroller]

ur dumb, go jump in a kiddie pool

[basileus]

ur dumb, go jump in a kiddie pool

Another high profile candidate for ban

[Straha]

ur dumb, go jump in a kiddie pool
I suggest tou take heed of the attached picture.

[Agentdark]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/Agentdark99/linkinpark6le4xj1dz.jpg

you do that

[Imajin]

Yay for forumpics!

But I pretty much agree with Basileus here- if it wasn't for the Pope, Rome would be gone- even the Roman Empire evacuated Rome eventually though, so it might be possible that the Pope might be forced to go along with the Western Emperor when he first moves the capital to Ravenna (probably still be titled "Bishop of Rome", though... Just as the Emperor was "Emperor of Rome")

[carlton_bach]

I beg to differ. Rome remained an important and wealthy city owing solely to the presence of the papacy (or, in orthodox terms, the Patriarch of Rome). But it would be very unlikely to be abandoned unless Central Italy changes dramatically. Rome sits at the lowest point where the Tiber can be safely forded, and it inherits a nice set of high-quality bridges. Unless it is consciously destroyed as part of a political move (maybe to shift trade routes coastward where a ferry service is operated), there is business here. Not big business, of course, but business on a local scale, and certainly enough to maintain a town. In Europe, you just don't get river mouths and junctions, passes, lowest fording places and natural resources without towns. The place is too crowded.

[Max Sinister]

Maybe after the Langobards take Italy? Maybe they destroy it while they're on the way?

[basileus]

Maybe after the Langobards take Italy? Maybe they destroy it while they're on the way?

I lost the count of the times Rome was sacked in my Interference TL... first the "historical" sacks by Goths and Vandals, then Slavs :eek: , Lombards, Magyars:eek: :eek: :eek: , Byzantines... and it's still there! :D