Continuity and Change in Late Antique Cities
The characteristics and daily life of ancient cities and towns of the Roman Empire are still studied and admired today. The architectural, artistic and written evidence from these cities offer us an insight into this ancient society and its influence on the current day, however, what became of the Roman Empire’s cities in late antiquity is a prominent debate for current scholarship. The traditional view favors the decline in urbanism, dating it as early as the third century, while the contrasting modern view rejects this idea of decline arguing that it was simply a change of religious, social and administrative ideals. This essay will explore these two opposing views of urbanism in late antiquity giving particular focus to the archeological evidence.
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This sort of evidence combined with other types can usually give a good indication and insight into life in the classical world, however, we can never be hundred percent certain about the answers it provides us. Despite the huge advancements it gave, the damaging archeological practices of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries coupled with the nature of fragmented archeological evidence can sometimes lead to gaps and more questions that need to be answered. Nevertheless archeological evidence is a very helpful tool for understanding the classical world especially when looking at the topic of changing urbanism.
Cities and towns of the republican and early imperial empire had been a place of civic function and elite eurergetism. Many of the urban centres during this time advertised the grandeur of the empire and its elite members through public buildings and sponsorship of games. This appears to have changed from the third to the sixth fifth centuries when new administration, new religions and a changing mindset swept the empire.
Traditional