The idea of the city in late antiquity : a study in resilience / Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, University of Cambridge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wallace-Hadrill, Andrew, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cities and towns, Ancient--Mediterranean Region.

Cities and towns, Ancient.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 440 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

The city was one of the central and defining features of the world of the Greek and Roman Mediterranean. Challenging the idea that the ancient city 'declined and fell', Andrew Wallace-Hadrill argues that memories of the past enabled cities to adapt and remain relevant in the changing post-Roman world. In the new kingdoms in Italy, France and Spain cities remained a key part of the structure of control, while to contemporary authors, such as Cassiodorus in Ostrogothic Italy, Gregory of Tours in Merovingian Gaul, and Isidore in Visigothic Spain, they remained as crucial as in antiquity. The archaeological evidence of New Cities founded in this period, from Constantinople to Reccopolis in Spain, also shows the deep influence of past models. This timely and exhilarating book reveals the adaptability of cities and the endurance of the Greek and Roman world.

Contents:

The end of the ancient city?

In praise of the city

The city in question

The city revived? Cassiodorus and Ostrogothic Italy

The city embattled: Procopius and Justinian's Byzantine world

The city and its records: the Ravenna papyri

The city of Bishops: Gregory of Tours and Merovingian Gaul

The grammar of the city: Isidore and Visigothic Spain

The fabric of the city: the idea embodied

Conclusion: Decline and resilience.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 28 Jan 2025).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781009527088

1009527088

9781009527101

100952710X

9781009527118

1009527118