TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Political Instabilities
- Yes – some cities retracted to hill-top fortifications to improve defence capacity.
- Pressures of invasion / insecurity increased military expenditure; new priorities from C6 : Byz and Syria suffering Persian invasions / Arab conquest …. Italy suffering due to Lombard attacks … Huge physical damage in Rhineland … no time to sit around in cities and practise rhetoric.
- Some cities bounced back from sack / ruin, but stronger middle ground with development of provincial units and some cities flourished as provincial capitals (esp in Greek E).
- Some cities flourished in W as seats for new Germanic kings (Metz / Trier / Paris)
- ‘Island cities’ whose antique wall enclosed derelict land and a few administrative nuclei. Run-down suburb areas.
- Spartan walls enclosed acropolis but not a civic centre. Cities now = garrisons / refuges / seat of bishop only.
- Govt role in food supply crucial – reinforced dependence of popn and maintained it at threatening level.
Comments
