TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Urban change and the end of antiquity
- Outpouring of work on subject increase Byzantine archaeology, more and more data. Civilization based on high culture rested on a network of cities. Byzantinists argue whether cities disappeared in the 7th century and thus was there a break between Byzantium and its classical roots.
Town and Country Survey Archaeology
- Roman empire cities relied on for culture, government and fiscality yet tiny percentage of population that lived in the cities. Constantinople maybe half a million, whereas Rome was perhaps one million. Declined under Justinian during wars. Only Antioh and Alexandria came close
- Cities continued to depend on the rural hinterland for its wealth; agrarian base to economy
- New archaeological evidence emphases on rural areas survey technique, all surface finds re picked up and recorded over a given area. Variety of survey which provide a broad chronological sweep.
- Easy to draw broad conclusions about particular area from these surveys but problems. Difficulty in identifying sherds and pure chance of accounting for certain assemblages. Nearer to Annales school of Total History than ever imagined.
Limitation and Strengths of Archaeological Evidence
- Studies of individual towns with accompanying texts difficult mainly due to subsequent urban development.
- Motivation for archaeology - Byzatine churches and mosaics. Also rescue Archaeology in Carthage by Unesco different teams and different interests and motivations. No complete picture of the late antique city can yet emerge
- Archaeological evidence can supplement historical record and add important net evidence.
- Aphrodsias in Caria SW Turkey literary sources are sparse, but through excavation we learn a lot about the urban development and city life in late antiquity. From sculpture we earn of survival of paganism and classical culture in provincial town. Unbroken urban history from inscriptions acquisition of free and federate city during Triumviral period to name change in early seventh century from Aphrodisias to Stauropolis decline eighth and ninth centuries, few records, to its rebuilding in 10th and 11th as Byzantine sites. Religious evidence. Pagan temple converted into a church fifth century.
- Possible here, rare, to piece together a real, if incomplete, view of changing patterns in city life in the late antique period. Dating techniques difficult tell us what happened, not necessarily why it happened. Byzantine earthquakes also hinder progress.
Comments
