I know that I read somewhere that the Roman capital was not Rome in the late empire prior to 476. I was wondering if people could suggest to me any articles or primary sources that talk about this.
Thanks!
Different emperors had different capitals. Constantine obviously established Constantinople as a capital in the East; earlier under Diocletian the empire had four capitals: Nicomedia, Sirmium, Mediolanum, and Augusta Treverorum. In 476, the capital in the West was Ravenna.
Given the time scale involved and the number of different cities to investigate, would you be willing to be more explicit about your question?