[Tribune7]

The traditional date for the fall of Rome was Sept. 4, 476 when Odoacer deposed the Emperor Romulus Augustus and declared himself king of Italy.

You can argue there was still an Eastern Roman Empire. You can point out that a part of France (The Domain of Soissons) remained Roman for another decade. You can note that Eastern Romans actually managed to recapture Rome in 540.

But, really, in 476 it was over.

[muawiyah]

"IT" meaning Rome, wasn't over until the early 1400s when Constantinople fell to the Turks and the noble classes fled.

There used to be this theory that vast numbers of barbarians overran the place. Subsequent archaeological research revealed "IT" continued to putt along until 535 ~ that's the year even China turned to poop.