what city was the center of imperial life in the roman empire in the early fifth century
Early Middle Ages For almost a thousand years, Rome was the most politically important, richest and largest city in Europe.[16] Around 100 CE, it had a population of about 450,000,[17] and declined to a mere 20,000 during the Early Middle Ages, reducing the sprawling city to groups of inhabited buildings interspersed among large areas of ruins and vegetation.