Urban Continuity
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• Was one urban civilisation (Rome) transformed into another (late Medieval, Modern Europe) by death (followed by rebirth middle ages) or process gradual transformation?

What do we expect of a town?

• Difficult to pinpoint definitions of town; size, function, relative etc

Constraints of Written Evidence

• Evidence in some parts, Britain 5^th and 6^th century verging on prehistoric level – also flexible definition of town explains instability in arguments.
• Most civitates survived to early middle ages – may only have been church surrounded by a few dwellings
• Written evidence sparse and not generally descriptive of town life

The archaeological evidence: Old approaches and old problems

• Areas of best archaeological evidence, Scandanavia (little Roman domination) and Britain least happening.
• Mediterranean sites under excavated and have they been dug properly? Going straight for classical remains, as opposed to what’s in between
• Interest in imperial power Roman archaeology tourism at expense of good archaeology of post-Roman period – even Aprhodisias
• Luni – two archaeological excavations – first one at ace finds nothing and suggests continuity of forum, second one shows houses of 6^th 7^th century on top of forum.
• Topographical evidence – like Roman pattern of streets today showing continuity? No archaeological or documentary evidence.

The archaeological evidence: current debates and current perspectives

• Much scope in poorly documented post-Roman period
• Very much prized in Britain (difficult to extract) – better but not so well in Mediterranean
• Roman urbanism (colonnaded streets) into Arab suqs – seen as a degeneration of Arab conquest. Recent interpretation of positive development allowing Islamic mercantile enterprise, freed form aristocratic chains Roman urbanism – changing attitude from colonial disdain for the Arab to broad mind
• Italy controversial – heritage in Roman sub soil, or renaissance rebirth of classicism?
• Agreement less populous, less monumental than before – gradual fading away or reappearance
• Medieval historians and historically trained archaeologists powerful Italy’s later medieval cities – swayed in favour of urban survival by nature of written sources. Continuity of citivas based political and ecclesiastical life – ignore failed cities.
• Archaeologists dark earth stress discontinuity and calamity, over-emphasising evidence from abandoned cities – provide such well preserved archaeological material.
• Carandini likens possible continuity of early medieval city in Italy to aristocrat who has become a tramp – in spirit a noble, but sadly decayed

Other Notes in this Category

1. Continuity – but of what?
2. Introduction
3. Urban Continuity

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