The Transition to Late Antiquity on the lower Danube

The Transition to Late Antiquity on the lower Danube
Author: Andrew Poulter
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 1522
Release: 2019-09-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1785709593

Excavations on the site of this remarkable fort in northern Bulgaria (1996–2005) formed part of a long-term program of excavation and intensive field survey, aimed at tracing the economic as well as physical changes which mark the transition from the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages, a program that commenced with the excavation and full publication of the early Byzantine fortress/city of Nicopolis ad Istrum. The analysis of well-dated finds and their full publication provides a unique database for the late Roman period in the Balkans; they include metal-work, pottery (local and imported fine ware), glass, copper alloy finds, inscriptions and dipinti (on amphorae), as well as quantified environmental reports on animal, birds, and fish with specialist reports on the archaeobotanical material, glass analysis, and querns. The report also details the results of site-specific intensive survey, a new method developed for use in the rich farmland of the central Balkans. In addition, there is a detailed report on a most remarkable and well-preserved aqueduct, which employed the largest siphon ever discovered in the Roman Empire. This publication will provide a substantial database of material and environmental finds, an invaluable resource for the region and for the Roman Empire: material invaluable for studies, which seeks to place the late Roman urban and military identity within its regional and extra-regional economic setting.

A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-700

A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-700
Author: Stephen Mitchell
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 630
Release: 2023-07-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1119768551

A sweeping historical account of the Later Roman Empire incorporating the latest scholarly research In the newly revised 3rd edition of A History of the Later Roman Empire, 284-700, distinguished historians Geoffrey Greatrex and Stephen Mitchell deliver a thoroughly up-to-date discussion of the Later Roman Empire. It includes tables of information, numerous illustrations, maps, and chronological overviews. As the only single volume covering Late Antiquity and the early Islamic period, the book is designed as a comprehensive historical handbook covering the entire span between the Roman Empire to the Islamic conquests. The third edition is a significant expansion of the second edition—published in 2015—and includes two new chapters covering the seventh century. The rest of the work has been updated and revised, providing readers with a sweeping historical survey of the struggles, triumphs, and disasters of the Roman Empire, from the accession of the emperor Diocletian in AD 284 to the closing years of the seventh century. It also offers: A thorough description of the massive political and military transformations in Rome’s western and eastern empires Comprehensive explorations of the latest research on the Later Roman Empire Practical discussions of the tumultuous period ushered in by the Arab conquests Extensive updates, revisions, and corrections of the second edition Perfect for undergraduate and postgraduate students of ancient, medieval, early European, and Near Eastern history, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 284-700 will also benefit lay readers with an interest in the relevant historical period and students taking a survey course involving the late Roman Empire.

War in Late Antiquity

War in Late Antiquity
Author: A. D. Lee
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2009-02-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 0470766239

The first book to focus on the social impact of warfare and theRoman army in Late Antiquity. Explores the implications of war and the army in a broad rangeof areas encompassing politics, the economy, and social life Pays particular attention to the experience of war from theperspective of non-combatants Investigates the religious dimension of military life and therole of the army in implementing religious policy Approaches familiar subjects from new perspectives, offeringnovel insights into the many facets of late Roman history

Death and Changing Rituals

Death and Changing Rituals
Author: J. Rasmus Brandt
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2014-07-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 178297640X

The forms by which a deceased person may be brought to rest are as many as there are causes of death. In most societies the disposal of the corpse is accompanied by some form of celebration or ritual which may range from a simple act of deportment in solitude to the engagement of large masses of people in laborious and creative festivities. In a funerary context the term ritual may be taken to represent a process that incorporates all the actions performed and thoughts expressed in connection with a dying and dead person, from the preparatory pre-death stages to the final deposition of the corpse and the post-mortem stages of grief and commemoration. The contributions presented here are focused not on the examination of different funerary practices, their function and meaning, but on the changes of such rituals – how and when they occurred and how they may be explained. Based on case studies from a range of geographical regions and from different prehistoric and historical periods, a range of key themes are examined concerning belief and ritual, body and deposition, place, performance and commemoration, exploring a complex web of practices.

Local Economies?

Local Economies?
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 652
Release: 2016-04-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004309780

The Roman economy was operated significantly above subsistence level, with production being stimulated by both taxation and trade. Some regions became wealthy on the basis of exporting low-value agricultural products across the Mediterranean. In contrast, it has usually been assumed that the high costs of land transport kept inland regions relatively poor. This volume challenges these assumptions by presenting new research on production and exchange within inland regions. The papers, supported by detailed bibliographic essays, range from Britain to Jordan. They reveal robust agricultural economies in many interior regions. Here, some wealth did come from high value products, which could defy transport costs. However, ceramics also indicate local exchange systems, capable of generating wealth without being integrated into inter-regional trading networks. The role of the State in generating production and exchange is visible, but often co-existed with local market systems. Contributors are Alyssa A. Bandow, Fanny Bessard, Michel Bonifay, Kim Bowes, Stefano Costa, Jeremy Evans, Elizabeth Fentress, Piroska Hárshegyi, Adam Izdebski, Luke Lavan, Tamara Lewit, Phil Mills, Katalin Ottományi, Peter Sarris, Emanuele Vaccaro, Agnès Vokaer, Mark Whittow and Andrea Zerbini.

The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Fall of the Roman Empire
Author: Peter Heather
Publisher: OUP USA
Total Pages: 605
Release: 2007-06-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0195325419

Shows how Europe's barbarians, strengthened by centuries of contact with Rome on many levels, turned into an enemy capable of overturning and dismantling the mighty Empire.

Surveying the Greek Chora

Surveying the Greek Chora
Author: Pia Guldager Bilde and Vladimir F Stolba
Publisher: Aarhus Universitetsforlag
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2005-12-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 8779349722

This volume aims at providing the first overview over landscape archaeology in the Black Sea region with particular focus on the cities' chorai including a comparative Mediterranean perspective. This type of archaeology is concerned with overall patterns beyond the individual site, and it faces the challenge of how to integrate time and space. From a methodological point of view, the ensemble of international contributors to (Re)guarding the chora shows the prospects of East-West collaboration over this fascinating kind of archaeology. Contributors: Susan Alcock, Alexander Avram, John Bintliff, Sergej B. Bujskih, Joseph Carter, Svend Conrad, Peter Hayes, Alexander V. Gavrilov, Sergej D. Kryzickij, Sergej B. Ochotnikov, Sergej Ju. Saprykin, Viktor N. Zinko with a preface by Pia Guldager Bilde and Vladimir Stolba.

The European Countryside during the Migration Period

The European Countryside during the Migration Period
Author: Irene Bavuso
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2023-12-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 3110778297

Research on late antique and early medieval migrations has long acknowledged the importance of interdisciplinarity. The field is constantly nourished by new archaeological discoveries that allow for increasingly refined pictures of socio-economic development. Yet the perspectives adopted by historians and archaeologists are frequently different, and so are their conclusions. Diverging views exist in respect to varying geographical areas and scholarly traditions too. This volume brings together history and archaeology to address the impact of the inflow and outflow of migrations on the rural landscape, the creation of new settlement patterns, and the role of migrations and mobility in transforming society and economy. Such themes are often investigated under a regional or macro-regional viewpoint, resulting in too fragmented an understanding of a widespread phenomenon. Spanning Eastern and Western Europe, the book takes steps toward an integrated picture of territories normally investigated as separate entities, and critically establishes grounds for new comparisons and models on late antique and early medieval transformations.