From Ancient to Medieval Rome: A Tale of Two Cities

This chapter examines the long-term transformation of Rome from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages by comparing two urban realities that occupied the same physical space but operated according to profoundly different social, political, and economic logics. Rather than measuring medieval Rome against classical institutional models, the study adopts a broader perspective focused on places of collective significance—spaces tied to shared memory, social interaction, subsistence, power, and religious life. Through selected case studies spanning roughly seven centuries, the chapter traces how demographic collapse, the loss of imperial centrality, and administrative fragmentation reshaped the city’s topography. Monumental public spaces such as the imperial fora gradually lost their representative functions and were reused for commercial, residential, or agricultural purposes, while new polycentric and flexible urban patterns emerged. At the same time, the decline of imperial institutions was counterbalanced by the growing prominence of ecclesiastical centers, particularly the Lateran and major basilicas, which became focal points of ceremony, administration, charity, and food distribution. The analysis highlights a fundamental shift from a civic model of urban organization centered on imperial representation and the Annona to an economic and social model increasingly structured around Christian welfare networks. In this process, the ninth century emerges as a decisive watershed marking the definitive transition from ancient to medieval Rome.