Revision:The Disappearance and revival of cities

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The Disappearance and revival of cities

• 6th century many cities in Empire over a thousand for Justinian’s reign. City self administered with rural territory. Big discrepancies.

• Mostly ancient origin, Hellenistic kings, or as old as can be. Few Christian emperors developed any. Beginning Byzantine period no dramatic change, gradual transformations.

• Similar physical appearance walled Baba threat 3rd and 4th century. Two avenues forum clustered around with Basilica (law), baths, council chamber etc. Some had theatres, some had hippodromes, coliseum did not spread eat much. Public buildings decorated lavishly statues, paintings, and fountains civic pride monuments.

• Paganism to Christianity slow many Pagan temples closed by 4th/5th centuries. Christians slow to go into old temples. Main church usually built on religiously unsullied soil cluster administrative building for the bishops etc. More and more roots more and more churches to various saints. By Justinian’s time a glut of churches - upkeep was a serious burden. Urban monasteries creeping in.

• Outside walls cemeteries, orchards and villas trends like abandonment of gymnasia not Christianity

• Not big by modern standards Constantinople maybe 300,000.

• City life very public, bathing, theatres, chatting, taverns

• Wild beats fights and hippodrome target for Christian invective sinful nudity etc devil who built theatres in the city. source of adultery, sorcery, civil disorder, contempt for women.

• Hippodrome (chariot racing etc) a competitor to church, siphoned off money and crowds declined.

• Life of St Symeon the Fool Emesa in Syria only manufacturer a glass blower, confectioner, supplies from surrounding countryside Prostitutes, beggars, jugglers morals seem lax, fornication with a married woman. Hygiene pretty lax, baths for men and women though.

• Sectarian strife seems little young men act in public drinking and mixing with prostitutes.

• Eastern provinces until middle of 6th century diminished way until middle 7th century regional variations, Balkans urban conditions were disrupted by Attila 441-7 and Theodoric Ostrogoths 479. Some restored but did not last long as Avar and Slavs invasions. Some cities declined and some expanded reasons for decline complex artisanal activity to villages peasants didn’t buy and supply in towns, flight of guildsmen to villages imperial legislation. Monasteries absorbed craftsmen and farmers premature to assert all small cities and dwindling and big ones inflating.

• Approach year 500 succession of disasters locusts, famine, drought, plague etc communications network small and agricultural supply small so calamity struck had to go hungry. Edessa people dying of hunger - 130 dying a day. Hugely inflated price of wheat, and people moved into towns. Also earthquakes and Persian capture Amida 80,000 dead taken out of the gate. Several generations to recover from this respite not granted to Eastern provinces.

• Hooliganism symptom of urban decay, loss of values, overly dull regimented society riots cause havoc exaggeration of Hippodrome thug given license by Emperor Justinian to rape and pillage

• Huge outbreak of plague 542 huge numbers die, especially young people, and every 15 years. Demographic calamity also no one works, prices increase hugely remaining farms burdened with additional taxes.

• Fact that Mediterranean cities contracted and practically disappeared this succession of natural disasters cannot have helped final straw usually invasion ease of which and lack of resurgence tottering edifice. After Justinian and after 600 little in way of historical sources. Laconic reports of calamities, killings, rape, break ins, disorder that curtain falls.

• Sirmium once an imperial capital never recovered after Hunnic sack of 582 deserted after Avar surrender of 582.

• 580 Peloponnese all cities wiped out. not a single Early Christian church remained standing. No evidence of building between 600m and early 9th century.

• Thessalonica hands Byzantium through dark years

• Asia Minor Ibn-Khordadhbeh (840) only 5 cities in the area earthquake a lot of cities lost

• Ephesus did survive albeit smaller ancient city centre abandoned at time of Persian invasion early 7th century new city wall built. Tax revenue in late 8th century shows something, but little evidence of building activity. Sardis change even more dramatic only hill fort survives Middle Ages.

• Ancrya lower town abandoned after being sacked in about 622

• Small coinage plentiful during 6th century, and until 7th century then it disappears not abundant until later 10th century. Ook at Sardis 73 for numbers. Imperial government continued to issue coinage army paid every 3 years, or 4,5,6 lack of coinage implies difficulty in transactions back to barter.

• Middle Byzantine empire aggregate of fortresses polis confined to C. but Ancyra and Ephesus kastron polis contact to kastron seat of administrative or ecclesiastical authority. Too cramped for urban limped cities on flat land often abandoned (exception Nicea too far from enemy.

• Constanitople real show of urban life eye of the universe”

• Constantine choose it in 324 Byzantium imperial palace emperors to reside next 8 centuries.

• 413 bigger than declining Rome huge urban population 400,000. relied on Egyptian grain, surprisingly efficient.

• Declining from 500 onwards plague 542, why should population increase with return of pestilence etc. Further calamities conquest of Alexandria by Persians leads to stopping of Egyptian corn. If new supply must be due to less and less people.

• 626 besieged by Avars who ruined Thrace, another food supply. 674-8 Constantinople blocked by Arabs 698 another plague. 714-715 all expelled from city that could not supply themselves in face of Arab attack. 717-18 second Arab attack and further

devastation of Thrace. Plague of 747 so extraordinary that almost uninhabited. 747 lowest point in medieval history of Constantinople.

• Constantinople remained a centre for commercial and artisanal activity at a time when urban life ceasing to exist in Asia Minor and the Balkans.

• Great crisis occurs first half 8th century 740 land walls damaged by earthquake, unable to rebuild them so special tax to raise an external labour force, Plague 747 Constantine V re-people city by bring in people from Aegean islands and Greece. No need for aqueduct so population must have declined dramatically. 7555 gradual recovery until age of crusades 8th century no building, but 9th century rebuilding of the Imperial palaces.

• Similar line to provincial cities - except Constantinople never went to zero Corinth returned as were Peloponeese. Movement gathered strength in 10th and reached peak in 11th and 12th. By no means of quality of ancient cities no continuity of layout which implies intervening layer of abandonment.

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