The Roman West, Ad 200-500: An Archaeological Study (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521196499)

This book describes and analyses the development of the Roman West from Gibraltar to the Rhine, using primarily the extensive body of published archaeological evidence rather than the textual evidence underlying most other studies. It situates this development within a longer-term process of change, proposing the later second century rather than the 'third-century crisis' as the major turning-point, although the latter had longer-term consequences owing to the rise in importance of military identities. Elsewhere, more 'traditional' forms of settlement and display were sustained, to which was added the vocabulary of Christianity. The longer-term rhythms are also central to assessing the evidence for such aspects as rural settlement and patterns of economic interaction. The collapse of Roman imperial authority emphasised trends such as militarisation and regionalisation along with economic and cultural disintegration. Indicators of 'barbarian/Germanic' presence are reassessed within such contexts and the traditional interpretations questioned and alternatives proposed.

Author: Simon Esmonde Cleary
ISBN-10: 0521196493
ISBN-13: 9780521196499
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/07/2013
Pages: 547
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.70lbs
Size: 9.80h x 7.00w x 1.30d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2013