Revision:Types of Post-Roman CityTSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Types of Post-Roman City
- Cassiodorus – 3 types of city; old fashioned, city of a public competitive lifestlye, luxurious amenities, liberal education, gentry honour from local government; semi-rural city; radical new city monastic offering religion, morality and medicine to peasantry.
- Keay and Panella – Spain and North Africa, towns detached from territoria, dominated by ruralised nobility, 5th century compelled to import and declined 6th century
- Wickham East – one giant city-state based on Constantinople – local tax ceased via curiales managed by civil servants and roots in capital, cities to nuclei of residence for secular and Episcopal administration.
- Reece – late Roman cities of Gaul and Britain as “administrative villages”. Justinian’s attitude to curiae disastrous as war taxation and plague.
- Sicilian agro-towns – lacking urban plans, monuments, institution etc.
- Religious historians different view Western cities 5th to 7th century – town invades, dominates countryside, imposing on it network of monasteries, priests, parishes, new beliefs, morality – calling in peasant and squire to basilica or shrine
- Religious pilgrimage and trade go together in towns. Saints as city border, late antique huddle behind mosaics and illustrations. At least nobility semi-rural but which was winner? Cities long remained principal towns – theatres of religious and political events, undefended, under used and decaying.
- Result in a variety of physical developments: Island City- antique wall encircle derelict or agricultural land and a few admin, ecclesiastically, defensive nuclei. Rome and Constantinople to some extent – presence secular church officials not enough for continuity.
- Dual Pole – suburban church and area showing vital urban change – city reorders outside the walls. Third revert to Roman hill fort towns – public spaces to Christian usage, stone facades maybe replaced by wood, secular public monuments and civic pride declined but never vanished.
- Syrian towns – lost monumental character and urban identity – not population. Privatise and orientalised.
- Compare to reconstruction building – some Britain demolished completely, others kept frameworks whilst being remodelled. New constructions around nuclei like monasteries – Dijon for example. H and W interest in emporia for trade directed by elites across natural frontiers no landed gentry bear little resemblance in classical sense.
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