Title: Late Antiquity - Ancient History
Headings: Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Content: The conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great was a significant event in the spread of the religion. He was instrumental in the rise of the church. By the fourth century, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 AD. Islamic philosophy had started to spread quickly by the end of Late Antiquity. Decline of the Cities
With the growth of the Roman Empire, a number of urban settlements were developed. The transition into Late Antiquity was marked by a sharp decline in the population and in the collapse of the major cities of the classical world. With the Gothic Wars, the population of Rome fell by more than half, and Constantinople also saw a decline in the number of inhabitants following the plague of 541 AD. The fall of Antioch to the Persians in 540 AD devastated the city. Most of the major Roman city-states such as Sparta and Corinth were abandoned in favor of fortified settlements.