I would be skeptical about attributing too much to a newspaper report about an unpublished conference presentation, particularly as the reported increase is onl

I would be skeptical about attributing too much to a newspaper report about an unpublished conference presentation, particularly as the reported increase is only 2 years (with no quoted uncertainties). From this review article about post-Roman Britain: (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1478-0542.2004.00085.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1478-0542...) "There is just no alternative to the conclusion that urban life ceased in most places by the mid‐fifth century, doomed by the virtual cessation of market activity, a climatic downturn which arguably destroyed the capacity of agriculture to deliver a reliable surplus, the collapse of state funding of officialdom and the soldiery, and the impact on trade of an era of barbarian raiding and internecine warfare." Of course, since historically urban life expectancy has tended to be less than small-town and rural life expectancy, it's even possible that the de-urbanization of Britain did lead to a slight increase in life expectancy.