Crisis of the third century
- Created by: Lauriie
- Created on: 10-04-18 14:35
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- Arc27: 3rd century crisis in the Roman Empire?
- Evidence
- Augsberg victory altar referencing conflict in Germany
- Low life expectancy of emperors
- Debasement of the coinage/ inflation- drop in silver component within the coins and the absolute weight of the coins.
- recently fortified towns- eg in Gaul (Esmonde Cleary 2013:62)
- BUT: fortifications far away from the frontier, and we don’t know of barbarian attacks that occurred there.
- in many of these cities the urban structures and the inhabited parts of the city shrunk significantly- eg coin finds in Amiens. Eg Roman Jublains- defended enclosure on a different layout to the old town
- Some towns actually grew: Cologne is actually on the frontier, seems to be expanding industrially. similarities with the Aurelian walls in Rome built between 271 and 275- explicitly as protection against barbarian incursions,
- overall: archaeological evidence is variable. In some sites we have growth, in other sides there is shrinkage and debasement of coinage. There were clearly political and economic issues but not all the changes were related to one factor, for example the increasing stratification and separation between rich and poor which had originated much earlier.
- The roman frontiers
- What is a frontier? Not a place in space but the point at which roman dominion stopped- also the idea that Rome should dominate the world, and it was power over people not geography.
- But this idea changes with time as the empire stops expanding by the 2nd century. From this time onwards the borders become more material and more clearly understood.
- borders were fixed, but the idea of the enemy was increasingly less fixed.
- Increasingly the army was made up not of mediterranean people but people who live in provinces and beyond the frontiers. People of barbarian descent were able to rise up and become generals in the army.
- overly simplistic to think that the Romans were afraid of a barbarian enemy
- Ivory diptych of Stilicho with his wife and son ca 395: Wearing trousers (Associated with barbarians) and military spear/shield instead of a toga. military brooch as well.
- Increasingly the army was made up not of mediterranean people but people who live in provinces and beyond the frontiers. People of barbarian descent were able to rise up and become generals in the army.
- What is a frontier? Not a place in space but the point at which roman dominion stopped- also the idea that Rome should dominate the world, and it was power over people not geography.
- End of the crisis
- This period of multiple crises came to an end with the reign of diocletian 284-305
- In 293 He created the tetrarchy (Rule of 4) In Triers, Milan, Sirmium, and Nicomedia. Huge military reforms came alongside of the division of the empire, and increasingly high level bureaucracy.
- For his retirement he built apalace in Split, in Croatia. this palace was built on the adriatic coast, a sign of how the emperor and the nobles had become more distanced from the people in Rome.
- Rural investment: Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily- build first quarter of 4th century AD, probably the centre of a massive estate.
- Peristyle courtyard in the centre with private apartments, baths, a private basilica in a pink colour. Very visibly about the display of aristocratic wealth. This was a place for the elites to enjoy an extravagant lifestyle. Vignettes of athletes and children with birds and toy carriages.
- Rural investment: Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily- build first quarter of 4th century AD, probably the centre of a massive estate.
- Reign of Constantine: 306-337. Son of Flavius Valerius Constantinus, an army officer. Most significant moment: battle of the Milvian Bridge- point of his conversion to christianity.
- Reunification of the Empire over the course of his reign.
- Early christian architecture eg the catacombs of st Calixto, Rome. Shrines of the martyrs who were killed under eg diocletianHouse-church at Dura-Europos, Syria- small, local/ domestic spaces
- When christianity became a state religion big churches sprang up around these catacombs. A change in urban structure followed this. as burial sites were outside the city walls. Part of the worship was elaborate processions between these locations.
- The decorative schemes of these catacombs were still in keeping with previous decorative traditions. Landscape paintings, and a lack of all the symbols of christianity. But as christianity becomes more of a state religion the symbols develop and become more wrapped up with state power.
- . The original St Peter’s basilica, constructed from between 326-333 and took 30 years to complete. Constructed above the grave of St Peter.
- Originally, basilica had statues of emperors in the apse, but small christian house churches weren’t doing it any more. They moved to using basilicas, replacing the statue of the emperor with an altar and depictions of christ. They couldn’t use the pagan temples since they weren’t a place for assembly,
- The decorative schemes of these catacombs were still in keeping with previous decorative traditions. Landscape paintings, and a lack of all the symbols of christianity. But as christianity becomes more of a state religion the symbols develop and become more wrapped up with state power.
- When christianity became a state religion big churches sprang up around these catacombs. A change in urban structure followed this. as burial sites were outside the city walls. Part of the worship was elaborate processions between these locations.
- For his retirement he built apalace in Split, in Croatia. this palace was built on the adriatic coast, a sign of how the emperor and the nobles had become more distanced from the people in Rome.
- In 293 He created the tetrarchy (Rule of 4) In Triers, Milan, Sirmium, and Nicomedia. Huge military reforms came alongside of the division of the empire, and increasingly high level bureaucracy.
- Case study: Trier (city which did not experience decline in the third century)
- Circle walls built under the empire and remained the full size, the site of a mint and a basilica (310 AD) as well as a 2nd century monumental gate, the porta nigra.
- The basilica was a civic building meant to represent the emperor’s power within the city, with an apse where a statue of the emperor would have stood.
- monumental imperial baths built in the 3rd century. Significant because in most cities. the tradition of public investment massively drops off in parallel with the nobility moving their focus away from the towns
- double church was built in the late 4th century, a very early monumental church discovered under the modern cathedral. a north basilica with a monumental pillared structure (might have contained a relic) and a south basilica which was built a little later.
- Separate baptistry (for processing lots of baptisms- clear there were lots of adult baptisms as people were converting, a symbol of the growth of christianity.)
- Why two churches- possibly for extra aggrandisement/ monumentality.
- still public investment but its direction has changed?
- Circle walls built under the empire and remained the full size, the site of a mint and a basilica (310 AD) as well as a 2nd century monumental gate, the porta nigra.
- This period of multiple crises came to an end with the reign of diocletian 284-305
- Evidence
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