Did the Roman Empire end in 476?

Only the Western imperial office ended. The Eastern Roman Empire continued from Constantinople until 1453, and daily administration in Italy carried on under Odoacer.

Why is 4 September used?

It is the traditional date associated with the deposition of Romulus Augustulus at Ravenna; no hour is recorded, so this entry uses a midday UTC marker.

Who owns this minute?

The Museum of Time holds it permanently. Museum minutes are curated, sourced and not for sale.

September 4, 476

0476-09-04 12:00 UTC

Held by The Museum. Not for sale.

The last Western emperor is deposed

Odoacer removes Romulus Augustulus at Ravenna, the date later historians chose as the end of the Western Roman Empire.

Source ↗

What happened in this minute

Odoacer, commander of the Germanic troops in Italy, deposed the teenage emperor Romulus Augustulus and sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople, declaring that the West no longer needed an emperor of its own.

Contemporaries did not experience this as the fall of Rome. Taxes were still collected, the Senate still met, and the Eastern Empire continued for another thousand years. The date became a boundary marker only when later historians needed one.

It endures because it is legible: a single day on which the Western imperial office stopped being filled. The minute recorded here is a conventional midday marker in UTC, not a documented clock time.

Questions and answers

Did the Roman Empire end in 476?: Only the Western imperial office ended. The Eastern Roman Empire continued from Constantinople until 1453, and daily administration in Italy carried on under Odoacer.
Why is 4 September used?: It is the traditional date associated with the deposition of Romulus Augustulus at Ravenna; no hour is recorded, so this entry uses a midday UTC marker.
Who owns this minute?: The Museum of Time holds it permanently. Museum minutes are curated, sourced and not for sale.