Towns in Transition Urban Evolution in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

This is a close and coherent examination of the evolution and transformation of towns between AD 300 and 900 within the borders of the old Roman Empire. - - The so-called ?Dark Ages? have often been represented, wrongly, as a period of general decay. In fact, as the archaeological studies reviewed in this book show, many of the towns of the Empire survived and developed, even though the Roman character of the centres was lost or transformed. Urban development in this period is one area in which archaeology can inform and transform historical thinking, supplying as it does a new body of evidence to help fill the void in knowledge caused by the frustrating lack of documentary sources for the period after the fall of the Empire. - - Among the important questions addressed are: To what extent were urban structures such as roads, walls and drains maintained? What was the role of the Church in preserving and developing the urban fabric? Do patterns of survival reflect the depth of adoption of Roman culture? - - The studies in this volume are based on new archaeological data and provide a full and convincing reassessment of the old image of urban decay and the impact of incoming Barbarians and Arabs on towns. The broad geographical range of towns studied, and the informed and authoritative interpretations offered in this volume, will be invaluable to scholars seeking to understand this complex, intriguing and misunderstood period of history. - - ALSO OF INTEREST: - Verholst (Variorum) - Bachrach (first volume) - Michael Thompson: The Medieval Hall: The Basis of Secular Domestic Life, 600?1600 - Richard Rodger: A Consolidated Bibliography of Urban History