What was the most important cause of food scarcity in the Western Roman Empire? Other lands stopped sending food to the West. The West focused on building defensive walls. Cities grew, and there were more people to feed. The West lost its ships when it split from the East.Who controlled the Western and Eastern Roman Empires by the Dark Ages? Rome continued to exist as the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. The Huns controlled both halves of the Roman Empire through invasions. The Eastern Roman Empire controlled all of Europe after a series of wars. Various groups controlled Western Europe, and the Eastern Roman Empire remained.
